Two full decades after Nancy Kerrigan fell victim to a strange scandal involving then-teammate Tonya Harding at the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Kerrigan will serve as a figure skating broadcast analyst for NBC at the 2014 Sochi Games, according to a Jan. 7 announcement.
Although Harding, now 43, has talked freely about the incident, which saw her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly mastermind a brutal attack that left Kerrigan, now 44, crying in pain following an Olympic practice session, Kerrigan has remained quiet over the years. Though she rebounded from the attack to earn the silver medal behind winner Oksana Baiul, bitterness still remains. In a Jan. 6 interview for Us Magazine, Kerrigan said she hadn't seen Harding since the attack, and that she has little desire to face her in the future.
Jim Bell, the executive producer of NBC Olympics, expressed pleasure over Kerrigan's participation as part of the Sochi team, calling her "one of America's most well-known Olympians" and noting her ability to "provide insight into what it takes to prepare for and compete in figure skating at the highest level."
Although Kerrigan has punched her ticket to the Winter Games, the U.S. Olympic team has yet to be named. Members will be officially chosen and revealed to the public following the close of nationals on Jan. 12. Competitors expected to make the roster include reigning World Champion ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White, as well as two-time U.S. national ladies' champion Ashley Wagner. The rest of the squad will be determined based on the results at nationals.
Figure skating at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi begins with the first performances of the all-new team event on Feb. 6.