OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON TWENTY YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL WIN BY OKSANA BAIUL
Statement Of: OKSANA BAIUL
For Release on
February 25, 2014
I celebrate today February 25, 2014, the Twenty Year Anniversary of the day I won the 1994 Olympic Gold Medal Ladies Figure Skating for my country Ukraine! As a 3 year old child in Dnepropetrovsk I began my lifelong journey as figure skater. I loved what I did however it was not easy for a child to sacrifice everything as I did, including my childhood and living in dorms for one goal in my life, to become an Olympian. After I won the 1993 World Championship Ladies Figure Skating GOLD Medal and 1993 Skate America GOLD Medal, my life changed. Skating was my way to express myself and feel needed in this world after the loss of my mother. When I won the Ukrainian National Title and thereafter got to compete at the Olympics, I had no idea about the Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding scandal. All I knew when I got to my warm-up practice was that something had happened with them and then I experienced a devastating injury to my leg and back during a collision on the ice with a German skater, after I had already skated my Olympic short program but before skating my long program. When I saw blood gushing out of my leg, my life stopped. I thought that was the end. I chose to fight through the pain, persevere and not give up until I had won the fight to achieve the Olympic Gold medal for myself and the people of my country Ukraine.
My figure skating medal gave me an opportunity to introduce the world to Ukraine and thereafter afforded me the opportunity to travel to American soil. The American people embraced me as did the rest of the world and I continued as I do to this very day, to work hard, never give up and always give my best performance to my fans globally. My message to the young generation is to fight through hard times, follow your dreams and never allow anyone to make you feel that you are not good enough.
Ukraine is always in my thoughts when I am away and always my country. I have maintained my Ukrainian Citizenship and am most honored today to acknowledge and celebrate my Ukrainian Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medal with my fans that have stood by me around the world!
OKSANA BAIUL, EMPRESS OF ICE
1994 Olympic Gold Medalist, Ladies Figure Skating, Ukraine
1993 World Championship Gold Medalist, Ladies Figure Skating, Ukraine
www.OksanaBaiul.com
twitter: @OksanaBaiul
www.BaiulFarina.com
OSBF/cjf
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I am very proud of you for being the kind of person you are. Your people in the Ukraine see you as a source of pride, too, and appreciate the love and support you send to them with your work. I worry about what is going on over there and wish there was something I could do for them. The last time I wrote to you, I told you that I love watching you skate in the videos on YouTube. It is all so beautiful and relaxing to me! You are the only skater I follow and enjoy watching. I am always glad to read new press releases from you. You are someone special in so many ways.
Congratulations Oksana! There is no doubt you were best skater in Lillehammer on this night 20 years ago. The special talent I saw 20 years ago seems to only come along maybe once every 10 years. I have not seen an Olympic performance as memorable since Lillehammer. You are one of the all-time greats.
I loved watching you skate and still would love to see you back on the ice. You had to fight a hard battle and you did. And girl, you won the battle. You go girl. I think that you are wonderful.
Just checking in on you, after all these years! You were our (America’s) little darling! While our skaters were so wrapped up in drama, with bad character, we had you to add a breath of fresh air to the Olympics! You were so fresh and appreciative of your opportunity to skate-so filled with emotion. Your story broke our hearts and we just wanted you to do well!
I hope you are doing well, now, and are happy and enjoying your life! God bless you, Oksana! I haven’t forgotten you, after all these years! I was a teenager when I watched you and now I am a grandmother, watching the 2014 Olympics and thinking of the young girl that stole the show, so many years together!
You are one of the best figure skaters of all time, keep skating and keep up the good work!
Still the most unique skater i have ever seen
I remember watching you skate in 1994. it was the first time I truly learn to appreciate the beauty of ice skating. you stated perfectly under all that pressure and I was so impressed. I now have a new fascination with Ukraine and I hope one day to visit Dnepropetrovsk and Stay in in the Grand Hotel Ukraine. may God bless you and the Ukraine especially in these trying times with a situation that is happening in Crimea. Rob H. San Diego
I love you and your work.
e-mail me some time at REDDECK27@AOL.COM
FROM,ERIC REPP
Oskana I want to tell you that over time, I’ve come to admire and appreciate your character, resilience, adaptability, goodness and warmth even more than your magical skating performances. Your well-deserved Olympic triumph is now a blast from the past. But what a memory it was! Pssst, Oksana, I still believe that German skater deliberately skated to run you down but you overcame that obstacle. This is when you earned my deep respect this combined with all the other obstacles you overcame yet you NEVER complained. For my money I see you as one of the greatest figure skaters of all time. You’d have easily won two more medals. This is why the ISU rejected your reinstatement bid. Which means 1998 champion & the 2002 champion were “charity” medals skated against a field missing the strongest defending champ in history. You’d have improved and destroyed the field. The ISU and the USFSA knew this too which is why they basically banned you from the sport. That very act was an admission of guilt in and of itself. So take heart Oksana and know you were a feared champ who didn’t need watered down rules, special exemptions or hiring thugs to whack the knees of your competitors in order to compete & win. Oksana you were head & shoulders above Nancy & Tonya that goes for Surya too (who was always mean to you or it seemed that way). Oksana, you were/are the champion of the ages. The greatest figure skater of this age. Pleased to know you’re in a good place now. I hope you pass on those genes of yours and if you’re ever blessed with a daughter—put her in ballet rather than figure skating!