Tonya Harding is an American former figure skater who was a prominent competitor in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She was the 1991 U.S. champion and the 1991 World silver medalist, becoming the first American woman to complete a triple Axel in competition. Her career was notoriously cut short following her involvement in the 1994 attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. After being banned for life from the U.S. Figure Skating Association, she briefly pursued a career in boxing and has remained a controversial public figure.