A piece of figure skating history is up for auction.
The red sequined dress that Tonya Harding wore to the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships where rival Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by a thug hired by Harding’s then-husband Jeff Gillooly will be sold to the highest bidder.
The auction site Lelands has the dress listed as “Historic Tonya Harding Costume from Infamous 1994 US Championships – The Day After Nancy Kerrigan ‘Attack.’ ”
A description for the dress from the listing reads: “Presented here is the outfit worn by Harding during the technical programs in the 1994 United States Championships on January 7th, one day after the Kerrigan attack, and 1994 Olympics on February 23rd. The red sequin costume lacks a size or manufacturer tag, and is missing a small handful of beads around the neck.”
Harding wore the showgirl-style costume for two seasons, beginning the year before the Olympics. During the technical program at the 1993 U.S. Figure Skating Championships held in Phoenix, Harding’s red dress became unhooked shortly after the start of her music.
The wardrobe malfunction caused Harding to completely miss her planned triple Lutz jump, popping it into a single Lutz. Realizing her dress was undone, Harding asked for a restart, which was granted by the referee. The mishap garnered mild laughter from fans and an expression of disbelief from the judge, seen in the video below.
With her costume secured, Harding skated her routine cleanly, placing second to Kerrigan in the technical program. She fell ill before the free skate and performed poorly, dropping to fourth and left off the team for the World Championships.
Fast forward one year to the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, which would serve as the qualifying event for the Olympics in Lillehammer. On Jan. 6, Kerrigan was leaving a practice session when she was clubbed in the leg with a baton by an assailant.
The injury forced Kerrigan to withdraw from the competition. Harding wore the red costume for a new technical program to the Much Ado About Nothing soundtrack, which she skated on Jan. 7, one day after Kerrigan’s attack. With her primary rival out of commission, Harding took the U.S. title (and a berth on the Olympic team).
After the ensuing FBI investigation, a disciplinary panel found Harding guilty of making “false statements about her knowledge” of the Kerrigan attack, which was orchestrated by Gillooly and his co-conspirator Shawn Eckhardt. However, Harding was still able to compete at the Olympics.
Andreas Altwein/picture alliance via Getty
Harding and a rehabilitated Kerrigan both went to Lillehammer six weeks after the attack. Photographers attended every practice session (since the two were sharing the same ice) hoping to catch an interaction between the two.
The ladies skating event became a media spectacle and brought in huge ratings for CBS, with the technical program becoming the third-most watched sporting event in history at the time.
Harding would wear the red costume one more time but faltered, finishing 10th after the technical program while Kerrigan finished first. After the free skate where the medals were decided, Kerrigan skated away with the silver and Harding finished 8th (after suffering yet another equipment issue — this time with her skating boot).
John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty
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The Olympics marked the last time Harding would ever wear the red dress in competition; she was banned from eligible competition for life for her connection to the Kerrigan attack.
David Madison/Getty
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the attack, which Harding has put behind her.
“My family and I are doing good,” she told PEOPLE in January 2024. “For the past year, I have been working as a custodian for two businesses that are part of one corporation.”
She briefly enjoyed a return to the spotlight in 2017 when the biopic I, Tonya was released. In the autobiographical film, Margot Robbie portrayed Harding.
Now, the red dress at the center of the biggest scandal in skating history is up for sale. The current highest bid for the costume is $3,993.00, with the auction closing on Saturday, June 29. This is far below the $50,000 Lelands was hoping to fetch.
