Tonya Harding 1992 Olympic Short Program

[333mayhem]

That British judge was tough. I have watched a lot of events she judged, and she always gave low marks to just about everyone.

[pelicanus11]

Tonya had the speed, The high jumps and energy. She needed a bit of artistic direction >She could have gone far if it wasnt for that Kerrigan incident!

[pelicanus11]

@faeryquene> without jumps there is no much dynamics is there!!

[thorceltic]

Go white girl, Go white Girl, Go white Girl

[tidal7]

Tonya always had the most voidy music choices!

[Lonleykounichi]

She started getting cocky in her moves which costed her. If she chose and practiced with moves that she had better control over she could have won. Such an amazing skater in her early years, it's sad

[greff08]

Tonya was the best

[HattieLovesCattie]

@greff08 She was but like Chris Bowman,had too many bad habits.They both were naturally gifted.

[wisdaniel]

By today's standards, that skate would not be top 20.

[faeryquene]

True-but it's really not fair to apply modern-day standards to a bygone era's.

[ThePharaoho]

But how many of today's skaters can land her jumps? Not many.

[mlc2005]

@ThePharaoho The problem was that Tonya could rarely land those jumps either. If she had actually taken the training seriously, she would have been on par with Ito perhaps. But no.

[faeryquene]

I would have had Bonaly behind Yamaguchi, Kerrigan, Ito, and Harding. Because apart from the jumps she could not skate to save her life.

[malvavisco10]

I agree; she was a good jumper, but watching this and her other skates you can see that she can't hold her spin or spiral positions for very long.

[kangaroosbraun]

have you people got lives?

[keeks410]

lol i just gotta say...given that the olympics are on right now, i found myself looking up old footage...and i read your comment, and realized i should get outta here! ;)

[lookscudkill]

That's not true about her needing to do the triple axel for the SP. I, and many can recall her 1991 SP with Harding doing a triple lutz-double toe combo and still finishing second after the SP.

[russianskatingfan]

That was at the 91 Worlds were Ito fell and Kerrigan was still doing a triple toe combo. Plus Harding was U.S Champion going in, not the U.S bronze medalist.

Also I did not say Harding couldnt possibly be top 3 in the short with a triple lutz. With Ito falling she for sure would have been in fact. I was just saying going in she probably had the fear if Kerrigan, Yamaguchi, Ito all skated cleanly she would be put 4th if she only did a triple lutz combo. Hence her triple axel try.

[Steinkampkind]

whats the song of this program???

[hilljacknutjob]

Its called "People are Still Having Sex" by Bill LaTour.

[Steinkampkind]

thanks i want to have the same music for my program

[abfrank]

Agreed she needed the triple axel for top 3 in the short, especially since she was on a real downward spiral since skate america that I'm sure the judges realized. that said, she could have done the lutz and been top 4 and hoped she and ito could beat yamaguchi in the long. i'm sure if she skated after ito, she would have just tried the lutz.

[russianskatingfan]

You are right.  If she skated after Ito she for sure would have gone with the lutz as she would know she was 110% certain to beat placed over Bonaly or anyone else in the short and be atleast 3rd and control her own destiny for the gold going into the long then.

[eyeskater1]

She's been on prednisone for a serious illness, which causes weight gain...or didn't you know that? not to mention she is older now...geeez.

[leddhed]

Looks like she has been jammin' her pie-hole with 'deep fried' catfish nuggets and cheese doodles for quite some time now. Not to mention the daily 2 packs of Camal unfiltered .

[eyeskater1]

It's artistic in a different way. It's funky and different and there isn't anything wrong with it.. It would have looked more awkward had she chosen music like some of the other skaters.

[snofagun1814]

akward music, not an artistic bone in her body

[DonnieBrownIII]

when she fell on the axel she should have done a lutz combination.

[tightlygagged]

The usual asinine stupidity from bendonna. Her COMBINATION was a triple axel, MORON. had she done a clean lutz/toe she'd have COMPLETED the single most vital element of the short program, finishing probably second. The lutz was nothing for Harding, unlike most of the other women. LOL

[liliaas]

Nancy's short program was perfect. Her lutz was even better than Kristi's. Even with a clean 3L/3T, Tonya could only have managed third in the short.

[tightlygagged]

That's nonsense. Neither Kerrigan's nor Yamaguchi's 3Z was anywhere near as high or technically superior as Harding's . They were good jumpers; she was a great one.

[liliaas]

Go watch Nancy's short program, you know, the one she actually DID, as opposed to the hypothetical one you're evaluating of Tonya's. Nancy's ACTUAL 3Z3T was OUTSTANDING on this night. Much better than Kristi's and better than anything Tonya had done all season.

[russianskatingfan]

Judges never liked Harding much. I know they would not have placed a clean Harding with only a 3 lutz over Yamaguchi, and I think they probably wouldnt have even placed her over Kerrigan. So 3rd in the short as it was, however there was no way of knowing that Ito would fall. Had Ito not fallen, even doing a triple lutz combo she would be 1st in the short, Yamaguchi 2nd, Kerrigan 3rd, and Harding even with a clean triple lutz combo too placed only 4th and out of gold medal running.

[hilljacknutjob]

Accurate!

[russianskatingfan]

Hence why I am pretty sure she did the triple axel combo. Harding skating cleanly with only a triple lutz combo and all the other top women skating cleanly the standings would have been:

1. Ito- with either a triple axel or triple lutz combo.

2. Yamaguchi

3. Kerrigan

4. Harding- with only a triple lutz combo

That is not how I am saying it should have been but I and she probably realized how the judges would have put it. Hence why she tried the triple axel combo.

[nasaltla]

The music is great, and her presentation of the program is admirable.

[bendonna]

point being if Tonya had trained (or skated like she had at Skate America earlier in the year) she would have been on the podium, and may have even been champion with the way the rest of them skated. Certainly one of the worst olympics ever in terms of the freeskates

[thomstephens]

@bendonna Amen - you nailed it on the head. Tonya was the best overall in terms of talent, but so lazy! And yes, the free programs (and many of the original programs) were lackluster. Lillehammer was better overall.

[Arinozian]

Anybody have Nancy Kerrigan's short program from these olympics?

[blancohuebner]

Three words come to mind:

1) Trailer

2)  Trash

3) Snake

[cc4505]

thats what we think when we read your name!

[blancohuebner]

Spoken like a true redneck

[cc4505]

whatever makes you feel better:-)

[nhalifax]

Aside from the fall on the axel, I really enjoyed this program! I wish she would have kept it and not switched to "Moon River" for Worlds.

[debtfreedomcanada]

Tonya has the nicest body of all the skaters. I,ve had a crush on her since the first time I saw her skate. It's too bad she surrounded herself with losers early in her career. She could have made millions.

[RedbeardNC]

I had a major crush on her too :-) glad someone else 'fessed up.

[cc4505]

me too!

[figuresk8inrocks]

OMG MY SKATE LACE IS BROKEN!

[Greatass4]

OMGGGGG SHe was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Close to landing the jump..... how awful that Kristi wound up winning!!!

TWO LADIES DOING TRIPLE AXELS AND NONE OF THEM WON!!!

[bendonna]

yeah but kristi had a triple triple and a very creative long program, but yeah midori doing triple axel triple toes....she probably should have been the champion, and tonya should have won a medal, but didnt skate well

[shayneinsc]

i loooooooove this music

[holistichandsrn]

Why did she do the Axel? All she needed was a clean program - not a great program. I bet she could have made the top four with just a triple loop, double toe combo. She was not over her foot when she stepped up.

[suraaldy]

Yeah, I don't know why she did the axel for the combination. (Although it looks like she almost had it.)

[delayedricochet]

She should not have gone for the 3axel because of how things were at that time. Plus it was not needed. But it was a good attempt and very close! If she did pull it off then the whole Albertville result would have been interesting. Does anyone know if she skated her SP before Midori, who did only go for 3lutz combo and missed?

[rfillangi]

Tonya did go up before Midori.

[cc4505]

she should have done triple lutz double toe ind this short!

[bendonna]

she needed the triple axel to put her in the top three

[russianskatingfan]

I dont agree (like I usually dont agree with you). Whether you are referring to the short or overall you are wrong. In the short Bonaly was 3rd, and Harding in 92 would have crushed her in the SP even with a triple lutz. She may have beaten Kerrigan for 2nd in the SP even with a triple lutz. In the LP she could not have beaten Kristi or Midori without a triple axel. However she could easily beat Nancy's weak LP without one had she gone clean, and easily won a bronze or silver overall.

[bendonna]

her combination was a triple axel, she fell on it, giving her 6th thus "she needed the triple axel to put her in the top three". As far as the long, she fell on the axel otherwise did most of her jumps without mistakes and nancy still beat her with her shit ass performance. so you are wrong.

[hilljacknutjob]

You are absolutely correct. Well said.

[MichelleKwanForever]

THANKS FOR ALL THE VIDEOS :)

[suraaldy]

Thanks for posting this! Someone had her long program from the Games posted but unfortunately took it down. I had never seen her short program.