Twenty Years Ago Tuesday, This Photo Was Taken

TWENTY YEARS

Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware this year marks the 20th anniversary of one of the strangest scandals ever to happen in the world of sports: the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan's knee in Detroit, Tonya Harding's possible involvement and the saga that ensued.

In recent weeks, the story has been the subject of two high-profile documentaries, from NBC and ESPN, and innumerable Internet think-pieces, but sometimes a picture just says so much more.

tonya harding
(AP Photo/Jack Smith)

Exactly, 20 years ago Tuesday, Harding abruptly halted her "Jurassic Park" free skate to prop her gold-bladed right skate atop the boards to show the judges that her skate lace had broken.

That night marked the final time the immensely talented athlete, who won the silver medal at the 1991 World Championships, was ever seen in Olympic-eligible competition. Harding finished eighth and Kerrigan narrowly missed the gold medal, placing second.

Relive the drama as it unfolded live on CBS that night below:

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported Harding won the 1991 world title. It has been updated to note she placed second.

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