Oksana Baiul

Oksana Baiul is a former figure skater. Growing up, Baiul took an interest in ballet, but her grandmother did not think she was thin enough, so she took Baiul to skating lessons. Before the 1993 World Championships, Baiul crashed into the boards and displaced disks in her back and neck. During the event, she stopped practicing and consulted a doctor as her neck and back were bothering her. Baiul decided to compete and she won the World title at 15. Baiul participated in the 1994 Winter Olympics, where she was second to Nancy Kerrigan in the short program of the Ladies’ singles. Baiul collided with Tanja Szewczenko, at a practice session before the long program and she suffered a wrenched lower back and a cut on her right shin that required three stitches. Baiul received two Olympic-approved pain-killing injections in her back and shoulder, which allowed her to compete in the free skate. She placed first and won the gold medal. Baiul turned professional at 16 after the 1994 Winter Olympics. Outside of skating, Baiul has her own line of clothing and jewelry.