Tragic Details About Olympic Figure Skaters That Are Just Plain Sad

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The following article contains mention of suicide and allegations of sexual assault.

You could argue ice skating is one of the most perilous sports out there. Just one mistimed jump or one misplaced step can be enough to threaten not only your competitive dreams or your entire career but, in the most severe cases, even your whole life. But it's not just on the rink where those brave enough to make their living gliding across a frozen surface on metal blades less than an inch thick can suffer.

Indeed, the history of the sport is littered with competitors who have experienced hardships both on and away from the world of axels, toe loops, and snowplow stops, whether losing loved ones in air crashes, receiving death threats simply because of who they love, or being physically attacked by associates of their most famous rivals. Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, here's a look at 14 of the saddest and most tragic cases.

The scandal that engulfed the 1994 Winter Olympics remains the ice-skating world's most infamous. The ongoing fascination with its blend of sporting rivalry, shocking violence, and survival even spawned an Oscar-winning adaptation, "I, Tonya." The drama began just weeks before the Lillehammer Games when the oft-tragic Nancy Kerrigan, a frontrunner to win the gold medal, was struck in the knee with a police baton following a practice session. The plot thickened when it was discovered the attack had been orchestrated by Jeff Gillooly, the ex-husband of fellow oft-tragic Olympian Tonya Harding!

Harding denied any involvement in the crime and was even allowed to compete in the Games, where she finished eighth. Kerrigan, who made a remarkable recovery, grabbed the silver. But soon after, Harding pled guilty in court to conspiracy to hinder prosecution. She was subsequently stripped of the National Championships gold she won earlier that year and given a lifetime ban from the U.S. Figure Skating Association. She was also fined $160,000, ordered to serve 500 hours of community service, and given a three-year probation sentence.

Harding maintained that she knew nothing about the attack — which was committed by her ex's associate, Shawn Stant — but did admit she sensed that Gillooly was planning something. "I have apologized so many times, she is not worthy of my time anymore," she said in NBC documentary "Nancy and Tonya" (via People), referring to Kerrigan, who wed her agent shortly after the scandal.

The ice skating world was left in a state of mourning in 2025 when 14 members of its community lost their lives in the collision between an Army helicopter and American Airlines jet over Washington D.C.'s Potomac River. A total of 67 people died in the tragedy including one-time world champions Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

In January 2026, Shishkova and Naumov's son, figure skater Maxim Naumov, was selected to represent Team USA at the Games in Milano Cortina. The former junior national champion had initially considered quitting his sport after losing both his parents, but eventually decided the best way to honor their memory was to fulfill their dreams of him becoming an Olympian.

"I can't describe how difficult it was in the very beginning, and through month after month of just really, really trying my hardest to keep a positive mindset and focus on day-to-day," Naumov told CBS News. "Thankfully skating became a tool that actually helped me overcome all of that."

The Potomac air collision of 2025 wasn't the first such tragedy to befall America's ice-skating community. In 1961, the entirety of the U.S. figure skating team — including Winter Olympians Laurence Rochon Owen, Ila Ray Hadley, and Ray Ellis Hadley Jr. — lost their lives when the plane they were traveling on to the World Championships in Prague crashed close to the Brussels Airport.

All 72 passengers who boarded the flight in New York, as well as one individual on the ground, died in what was the first ever commercial Boeing 707 crash. Remarkably, the cause was never identified, although the general consensus is that a faulty tail stabilizer mechanism was to blame. Owen was undoubtedly the most high-profile victim, having just won the North American ladies' singles title just three days earlier. Tragically, her mom, Maribel Vinson Owen — who held the same title in the late 1930s — and her sister, Maribel Owen, were also on the doomed journey.

"Our country has sustained a great loss of talent and grace which had brought pleasure to people all over the world," then-president John F. Kennedy — who was friends with another victim, skater Dudley Richards — said in a statement (via The Washington Post) at the time.

Adam Rippon made history at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Games — which spawned several uncomfortable moments – when he competed as the USA's first openly gay male Winter Olympian. The figure skater continued to break new ground soon after when he picked up a bronze medal in the team event. But his presence came at a cost.

During an interview on iHeartRadio's "Domenick Nati Show" later that same year, Rippon — who publicly come out in 2015 — disclosed he was the target of several death threats simply for appearing at the Olympics. Luckily, the pioneer didn't let such worrying messages affect him. "You know 99% of the things that people send you that are negative, you'll never see those people and they don't matter and they honestly spent time to find you to write a message," he said. "They have a lot of time, and I'm going to tell you I wish I had that much time to waste, but I don't."

In 2020, Rippon — who Sally Field once tried to set up with her son – experienced homophobia from a fellow skater after he donated $1,000 to black trans advocacy group Okra Project. "Adam! When will you die? Earth's mistake!," Russian Alexei Yagudin tweeted (via Outsports) in response to the charitable act. The American fought back by donating another $1,000 to the organization, only this time in Yagudin's name.

While Adam Rippon and other professional athletes who identify as LGBTQ+ were able to come out on their own terms, another gay male skater from generations earlier was outed without his consent during a time when he had just achieved his career pinnacle. In 1976, a reporter disclosed John Curry's sexuality to the world almost immediately after he earned gold at the Innsbruck Winter Olympics.

Curry had freely spoken to Associated Press' John Vinocur before his triumph about the fact he was gay. However, he allegedly believed these discussions were strictly off the record. So he was left blindsided when details of his private life were splashed all over the tabloids. "A lot of people said I came out at the Olympics, but I didn't — I never intentionally set out to make a statement," Curry later said (via BBC).

Vinocur, however, remained unrepentant, remarking (via Sports Media LGBT), "The whole thing was absolutely standard journalism. There was no expectation of copy approval." Curry, who confirmed his sexuality at a press conference following the exposé, was diagnosed with HIV in 1987 and sadly died seven years later of an AIDS-related heart attack aged just 44.

The skating world was left reeling once again in 2020 when Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya died at her Moscow home aged just 20. The athlete — who had competed at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics with partner Harley Windsor — was said to have jumped from a sixth-floor window.

Hailing from Russia, Alexandrovskaya gained Australian citizenship in 2017, the same year she and Windsor were crowned world junior champions. In an Instagram tribute, Windsor shared that he was distraught by the news. "The amount we had achieved during our partnership is something I can never forget and will always hold close to my heart," he captioned a photo of the pair.

The Australia team's chef de mission, Ian Chesterman, also expressed his sadness in a statement (via ESPN): "She was quiet and humble in her manner but incredibly determined to be the best she could be. Life since the Games has not been easy for her and this is another timely reminder of just how fragile life is." Alexandrovskaya had been forced to retire in 2019 after a series of injuries and shortly before her death was diagnosed with epilepsy.

In 2019, American figure skater John Coughlin committed just 24 hours after learning he'd been temporarily suspended by the United States Center for SafeSport over undisclosed allegations. Several months later, Winter Olympian Ashley Wagner alleged that he sexually assaulted her when she was only 17 years old.

In an essay published by USA Today, Wagner recounted the events and explained that she was conflicted about whether to publicly identify the man. Ultimately, she realized it was the only way forward. "A name can shape so much of how my story is perceived," she wrote. "Without it, I know people will question my credibility."

Wagner, who won a bronze medal in the 2014 Sochi Winter Games team event, went on to reveal that watching the U.S. Figure Skating Championships won by a competitor in their early teens inspired her to take action. "I want to make this sport safer for those kids," she wrote. "I went to U.S. Figure Skating and proposed changes to athlete education and wellness designed to keep these young skaters as safe as possible."

Canada lost one of its greatest female skaters in 2023 when Alexandra Paul died in a horrific car crash at the age of 31. The athlete — who represented her country with future husband Mitchell Islam at the Sochi Winter Olympics — was instantly killed when her stationary car was slammed into by a truck on an Ontario road. Remarkably, her infant son Charles, who was also in the same vehicle, only suffered minor injuries.

"As we remember Alexandra's contributions to the sport, we also reflect on the camaraderie and sportsmanship she exemplified," read an official statement from Skate Canada (via BBC). "She was not only an accomplished athlete but also a true role model for aspiring skaters, demonstrating the values of resilience, perseverance, and sportsmanlike conduct."

Paul, who picked up a silver medal with Islam at the 2010 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, had retired from the sport in 2016. After graduating from the University of Windsor's Law School, she began her second career as an associate lawyer.

Just four years after winning the bronze medal at the Sochi Winter Olympics, Denis Ten was fatally stabbed aged just 25. The Kazakhstani — who also competed for his country at Vancouver 2010 and Pyeongchang 2018 — was rushed to Almaty's Central Clinical Hospital after being stabbed in the thigh by two assailants attempting to rob his car mirrors. He tragically died just a few hours later.

"His outstanding achievements glorified our country and helped popularize sport among youth," Kazakhstan's president Nursultan Nazarbayev said in tribute (via BBC News). "Denis was not only a prominent athlete, whose talent was recognized and revered in many countries of the world, but also a man of marked individuality, a true patriot."

Many of Ten's fellow skaters also offered their condolences, including Adam Rippon, who tweeted: "He was so kind to everyone and a huge inspiration to me and so many other people." Arman Kudaibergenov and Nurali Kiyasov were arrested the day after the tragedy. After being convicted of the crime, they were given an 18-year penal colony sentence.

In 2024, Winter Olympian Gracie Gold published her memoir, "Outofshapeworthlessloser." The book made headlines for one particular chapter in which she claimed to have been sexually assaulted by a fellow skater.

Gold, who won a team bronze at the Sochi Games, recalled being assaulted at a California hotel room in 2016, but didn't identify the perpetrator. The skater also revealed that she reported the crime to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, but it wasn't properly investigated for several years. In fact, it took until 2024 for the governing body to declare their findings, ultimately issuing a lifetime ban to the man in question.

Australia's Brendan Kerry was named in the official report, although SafeSport acknowledged that there wasn't enough evidence to prove that he forced himself upon Gold. Instead, he was punished for supplying alcohol and having sex with another unnamed skater aged 16 or 17 at the time. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Gold expressed her disappointment at the investigation: "Claimant 1 in the case, I don't know if she would have ever received any justice if I, Claimant 2, had not written a book about my experience, and ... the fact you could assault a minor and face zero repercussions, I think, is a big indicator."

One of the nastiest on-the-rink injuries occurred during a 1986 practice session between Doug Ladret and Christine Hough. The former suffered a fractured skull when he saved the latter from falling headfirst onto the ice from a botched throw, in turn hitting his own head with a severe thump.

Although Ladret initially only experienced clogged ears from the accident, a medical inspection at Hamilton General Hospital confirmed that things were actually a lot more serious, as he recalled to Peak. "I can hear [coach Kerry Leitch] in the hallway with the doctor saying, 'We've got a competition in Moscow in a couple of weeks, when can he get back on the ice?'" he recounted. "And the doctor said, 'After the night, he can think about skating after that. He'll have to make it through the night first.'"

Ladret, who competed at the 1988 Calgary and 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics, remembered the look of concern on Leitch's face, a man whose mindset he described as: "There's only one way off the ice, you better be bleeding or dead." But luckily, the skater made a full recovery and within five weeks had returned to the rink, albeit with the aid of a helmet.

Alongside skating partner Anton Sikharulidze, Russia's Elena Berezhnaya won a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Lugano. She then went all the way at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, a remarkable feat considering she once suffered an injury so severe that doctors feared she may never walk again.

The incident in question happened at a 1996 Latvian practice session when then-partner Oleg Sliakhov accidentally struck Berezhnaya's skull with a toe-pick during a side-by-side camel spin. The Russian, who was forced to undergo two different brain surgeries to extract the fragments of bone caused by the two-inch cut, experienced both movement and speech difficulties and was only allowed to leave hospital a month later.

Following further rehab in her hometown of Saint Petersburg, Berezhnaya returned to skating just two months after her horrific injury. "I didn't have any false dreams about the future," she told Time. "All I thought about was those first steps." She credited Sikharulidze's support for her recovery, too, noting how she was "skinny, shaved, half-alive, almost a skeleton, and Anton so tenderly cared about me." The pair then decided to join forces on the ice rink and the rest is history.

German skater Mandy Woetzel also discovered how perilous the side-by-side camel spin can be. The German skater was hospitalized for three months due to a head injury suffered during the risky move. And that wasn't the end of her woes, either.

In 1994, she and partner Ingo Steuer had to pull out of the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics when she hit the ice with her chin following a death spiral slip. Steuer has also experienced his fair share of setbacks, having undergone no fewer than six operations on his knee. In 1997, he tore his right shoulder ligaments after being hit with a car's sideview mirror while standing on a street edge.

The pair's rotten luck, however, changed at the 1998 Games in Nagano when they picked up the bronze medal. Perhaps sensing that they should quit while they were ahead, Steuer and Woetzel then retired from the sport.

Alongside partner Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean is responsible for one of Great Britain's greatest Winter Olympic achievements and one of the skating world's most memorable routines. Indeed, the pair instantly claimed legendary status when their dramatic performance to Ravel's "Bolero" saw them win the gold medal at the 1984 Games in Sarajevo. But he wasn't able to enjoy his success with his mom.

Mavis Dean walked out on her family when Christopher was aged just 10 after discovering that her husband Colin had been having an affair. Recalling the traumatic time in his shared memoir, "Our Life on Ice," the skater wrote (via Daily Mail), "My mother had just seemed to disappear. And I was never once given any news as to her whereabouts or wellbeing."

In fact, it was only in his 40s that Christopher was able to establish contact again. "My mum regretted it every single day of her life but we did reconnect," he stated on "DNA Journeys" (via The Sun). "I think there was a lot of sorrow that she missed out on so much."

If you or anyone you know is struggling or in crisis, or has been a victim of sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below:

• Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
• Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).