Tonya Harding

Background

Tonya Maxene Price Harding was born in Portland, Oregon on November 12, 1970. LaVona Golden, her mother, raised her in East Portland. She began skating at the age of three, and by the age of four, her mother had taken her to Diane Rawlinson, who had coached her in figure skating. She had a difficult childhood because her mother frequently abused her physically and psychologically. She began spending time with her father, Albert Gordon Harding, in her early teens and learned about numerous automobiles from him. Throughout her adolescence, she also began hunting and competed in various drag races. Harding, who was a student at Milwaukie High School, dropped out to focus completely on her figure skating career. She went on to earn her general equivalency diploma and devote her time to skating.

She continued her training with Diane Rawlinson and began competing in figure skating contests across the United States. She finished sixth in the United States Figure Skating Championships in 1986. She rose to popularity as a figure skater after winning Skate America in 1989. Her major break came in 1991 when she won the U.S. Championship with ease after landing her first triple axel. She landed a triple axel again in the World Championships that year, becoming the first American woman and only the second woman in figure skating history to accomplish it. She became the first woman to land two successful triple axels in a single competition after becoming the first woman to land a triple axel in a short program. She was then the first woman to land a triple axel with a double toe loop. Harding then had a bad run and was never able to land the famed triple axel jump again after 1991. She twisted her ankle during a practice session for the 1992 U.S. Championship and was unable to win the championship. Her subsequent efforts in the Winter Olympics and other competitions were poor, and her name was withdrawn from the World Championship squad. She regained her winning ways in 1994 when she won the United States Figure Skating Championships in Detroit.

In 2003, Harding made her professional boxing debut. She did not show up in another professional boxing event for a year after losing her debut battle. Her boxing career was cut short due to her health issues. She got three victories and three losses towards the end of her boxing career. Before marrying Joseph Price in 2010, Harding had two failed marriages. On February 19, 2011, they were blessed with a son. Harding has worked as a painter, welder, clerk, and deck builder since retiring from boxing. She skates three times a week and is still proficient at completing leaps and spins. She is currently residing in Washington, D.C.