Tonya Maxene Harding (born November 12, 1970) is an American former figure skating champion, most famous for a scandal involving an assault on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan. Harding is a two-time Olympian, and a two-time Skate America Champion. In 1991, she won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed second in the World Championships. Known for strong athleticism, she was the second woman, and the first American woman, to complete a triple Axel jump in competition.