ESPN’s “The Price of Gold” revisits Tonya/Nancy scandal

ESPN’s The Price of Gold revisits Tonya/Nancy scandal: ESPN presents a new 30 for 30 documentary The Price of Gold, looking back at the figure-skating scandal surrounding the 1994 Winter Olympics, when figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by an assailant later discovered to be the ex-husband of rival skater Tonya Harding. ESPN airs The Price of Gold Thursday, Jan. 16, at 9pm ET.

Press release from ESPN below:

ESPN Films’ Upcoming “The Price of Gold” Focuses on Tonya Harding, Nancy Kerrigan and the “Whack Heard Around the World” 20 Years Ago

On January 6, 1994, just weeks before the Olympic Games in Norway, Nancy Kerrigan was struck on the knee in a stunning attack and what unfolded was one of the most dramatic controversies in sports history. ESPN Films will debut a new 30 for 30 documentary, The Price of Gold, on Thursday, January 16, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. The documentary is directed by award-winning filmmaker Nanette Burstein (The Kid Stays in the Picture, American Teen, On the Ropes.)

The world was mesmerized by two athletes in particular at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer – Nancy Kerrigan, the elegant brunette and Tonya Harding, the feisty blonde engulfed in scandal. Several weeks prior, at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Kerrigan was shockingly clubbed on the right knee by an unknown assailant and left wailing, “Why, why, why?” As the bizarre “why” mystery unraveled, it was revealed that Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, had plotted the attack with his friends to eliminate Kerrigan from the competition and increase Harding’s chance at a gold medal. Now two decades later, The Price of Gold takes a fresh look at the worldwide spectacle that ensued with Harding in the center of it all.

“This surreal controversy unfolded during a time before the pervasive 24-hour news and tabloid culture that exists today,” said Libby Geist, director of development and producer for ESPN Films. “This film tells the story of how the Tonya/Nancy saga captured the attention of the world and created one of the most bizarre scandals in sports history.”

The Price of Gold features interviews with Tonya Harding, Connie Chung, Tony Kornheiser, coaches for both Kerrigan and Harding, Kerrigan’s husband/manager Jerry Solomon, and many others.

30 for 30-related updates are available at www.facebook.com/espn30for30 and www.twitter.com/30for30. Fans can join the conversation with hashtag #PriceofGold.