When people remember the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, many people think of Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. Nancy Kerrigan, while inspirational for recovering from the attack that she received that Tonya Harding arranged, won the silver medal. The gold medal winner, Oksana Baiul, also has an amazing story.

Oksana’s parents separated when she was a baby. Her mother lived with her grandparents, and it could have been a happy story. Unfortunately, her grandmother died. Then her grandfather died. Just when things couldn’t get any worse, her mother died at age 13. Although her mother had remarried, her stepfather didn’t feel any responsibility for her, and she had to fend for herself.

At times, she would sleep with friends; other times, she slept at the ice rink. Her coach helped her out. Then he left for a job in Canada, but suggested that Galina Zmievskaya coach her. Zmievskaya heard her story, and not only decided to coach her, she decided to support her. Oksana was able to stay at her house.

Not only did she have a place to live, but at age 15, she won the world championship, becoming the youngest winner since Sonja Henie won in 1927.

At the Olympics, Baiul was second behind Kerrigan after the technical program. The following day during practice, she collided with another skater, Tanja Szewczenko, and had to have three stitches on her right shin. She came back the following night and eked out a win over Kerrigan for the gold.

Later that year, Oksana had to have knee surgery; she started skating before her doctors advised, and her skating ability was never the same. She later moved to the United States with her adoptive family. She still skates professionally from time to time. Most recently, she skated at the One Step Closer HIV AIDS figure skating exhibition on March 27th of this year.

A news report about her appears below:

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