Page
1
of 1

Oksana Baiul Biography

(1977–)

Figure skater. Born November 16, 1977 in the Ukraine. The only child of Sergei and Marina Baiul, Oksana was abandoned by her father at age two and began skating when she was four. She was orphaned at age 13 after her grandparents and mother died within three years of one another and subsequently moved in with her skating coach to train on the national level.

In 1993, Baiul won both the Ukranian National Championships and World Championships. She went on to beat Nancy Kerrigan in the 1994 Olympics to secure the gold in women's figure skating. The much-publicized win occurred in the wake of the scandal in which the husband and associates of skater Tonya Harding deliberately injured Kerrigan.

After the Olympics, Baiul moved to the United States, where she skated in professional tours while battling a drinking problem. Her addiction culminated in a car crash in 1997, after which she entered a rehab program and returned to professional skating. Baiul now trains in Richmond, Virginia.

Baiul has written two books, Oksana, My Own Story and Secrets of Skating.