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Near-perfect performance Harding bounces back to finish second in pro debut
Posted: Tuesday October 19, 1999 11:58 PM
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Second place and a crowd on her side meant victory to Tonya Harding in her return to competition. Making up for a rocky start, Harding skated a near-perfect routine Tuesday night to finish as the runner-up to Surya Bonaly at the Pro Skating Championships. "I'd forgotten how it felt to step on the ice," the 28-year-old skater said. "I will never forget this day. I will never forget this competition." Five years since her implication in the knee-whacking of rival Nancy Kerrigan and her last competition at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, Harding received the loudest ovation of the competition after her performance. This time, she didn't beg for a do-over. Unlike Lillehammer, her skates were properly laced. "It was definitely easier tonight," Harding said. "Yesterday was an emotional day, being back with all my friends and seeing everyone and seeing how the crowd reacted to me. I was really excited to go out this evening and just skate and have fun. I was more relaxed." In fourth place out of five skaters after Monday's technical program in which she fell twice on jumps, Harding entered the ice for warmups with a blank, emotionless stare. "I was trying to have my blinders on, just to concentrate on getting a very good warmup because yesterday my warmup wasn't exactly good," she said. Wearing a conservative white-and-black dress, Harding started her artistic program with a slow violin-and-guitar ballad and built to a techno-dance number titled "Fired Up." She brought the Huntington Civic Arena crowd to its feet by nailing all three triple jumps and performing a variety of spins. After her third triple jump, she was beaming. At the end she clasped her hands to her face in exhilaration and received a standing ovation. She blew kisses to the audience, and several people responded with "We Love You Tonya." When the final results were announced, Harding and the other competitors exchanged hugs -- including Tonia Kwiatkowski, who like others had said she would never skate again with Harding. She did, and got beat. Harding had the second-best score of the night to finish tied with Rory Burghart. But Harding was awarded second place based on a tiebreaker. Kwiatkowski was fourth and Liz Manley fifth. Ironically, the event marked the first time Harding truly reaped the financial benefits of a skating boom she helped create. Figure skating's popularity skyrocketed following the attack of Kerrigan which led to Harding's banishment from amateur competition by the sport's governing body. "1994 was a down period in my career. Tonight's a new beginning for me," she said. Her agent, Michael Rosenberg, would not say how much Harding was paid for her debut, other than the amount has five figures, or between $10,000 and $100,000. "To her, it's a lot of money because she doesn't have any. She's trying to work her way back," he said. He said he advises his clients not to reveal what they are paid so they do not become crime victims. Rosenberg put other top clients in this event and assured them there would be no repercussions because of their presence alongside Harding. "We've all been friends for a really long time," Harding said. "I missed them all so much. It's all just been terrific." But only Bonaly and men's winner Alexei Urmanov, the 1994 Olympic champion, accompanied Harding to a post-skate news conference. "I've heard maybe some rumors or some people say, 'I don't want to skate with her,'" Bonaly said. "I don't know why. It's their choice." Harding's presence did not sway skating fans to pack the show. The 5,780-seat arena was about half-full. Only a few hundred more fans were in attendance compared with Monday night. "I just came to see the whole thing. I am truly not a fan of hers," said Sandra Ruggles of Chesapeake, Ohio. " She's a very good skater. But I didn't think that overall it was a big deal."
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