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:

I’m posting a little earlier than normal… I had to babysit a friend’s kids last night and take them to school. I had the chance to watch some today’s afternoon events, but I’ll have to catch ladies’ figure skating tomorrow morning.

Today was the nordic combined team event. The United States had never received a team nordic combined medal since its introduction in the 1988 Calgary games; their highest position before was 4 in Salt Lake City. The win must have been especially exciting to Todd Lodwick, who has been participating in this event since the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. Austria won the gold medal, and Germany won the bronze. Finland, who was in the lead at the end of the jumping portion, ended up coming in seventh.

In biathlon, it was the women’s 4×6 km relay. Russia took gold, France won the silver medal, and Germany came in third.

A huge upset occurred in the 10,000 m men’s speed skating event today. The favorite, Sven Kramer of the Netherlands, crossed the finish line in less time than any of the other skaters. Unfortunately for him, he forgot to cross into the other lane during one of the 25 laps. What would have been the second gold medal for him went to Lee Seung-Hoon of Korea instead. The United States’ best performance in this event was by Jonathan Kuck, who came in eighth.

Women’s ski cross made its Olympic debut, with no Americans competing. The ski cross team has to fund their own way; I am not completely sure whether the reason why they did not go to the Olympics was due to funding or not, but I’m guessing that it at least had a part. The Canadian, Ashleigh McIvor, came away with the first gold.

After beating Germany today, the Canadian men’s ice hockey team has advanced. If both the US and Canadian teams win their events in the quarterfinals and semifinals, they will meet up in the finals.

Probably the most memorable event of the 1994 Olympics, for many, was the attack on Nancy Kerrigan, just prior to the Olympic games. It later was discovered that Tonya Harding’s bodyguard was the man involved, in an attempt to take Kerrigan out of competition. It didn’t work, and Kerrigan went on to win the silver. Harding, on the other hand, not only didn’t win a medal (she came in eighth), she seemed to turn to the scandalous after that. Harding became better known for sex tapes and celebrity boxing than skating well.

Lillehammer was also the year that Dan Jansen took his victory lap with his daughter, Jane, now made famous by those Visa commercials. He won the 1000 meter speed skating event this year, two Olympics after getting the bad news during the 1988 Olympics that his sister had died the morning of the competition.

Most of the 1994 competitors have long since retired, but a few are still hanging around. Luge’s Armin Zöggeler won the bronze medal for Italy, and Mark Grimmette, the flagbearer for the US Olympic team this year, were part of the Lillehammer games.