While waiting for Olympic medals
Athletes on the podium at the ’94 games explain what they were thinking.
The New York Times Magazine
February 22, 2026

On the eve of last week’s figure-skating final in Milan, the magazine revisited a stunning Olympic skating moment from the past: Sixteen-year-old Oksana Baiul’s victory at the ’94 Games over Nancy Kerrigan, whose shocking assault weeks earlier had turned the competition in Lillehammer into a media circus.

As Baiul, Kerrigan and the third-place finisher, Lu Chen, waited to receive their medals, they were captured in an emotional photo. Thirty-two years later, contributing writer Charley Locke asked the three women to explain what was going through their heads. For Baiul, the photo represents the moment her whole life changed. “I had no idea how to handle that,” she told Locke.

The story combines archival photography and present-day interviews to shed new light on fascinating moments from the past. An earlier article, published in November, followed a similar approach and explored the story behind an iconic photo from the finish line of the 1983 New York City Marathon.

Three female figure skaters in their competition gear. The one on the left is blowing a kiss.

Associated Press

"I Had No Idea How to Handle That”: The Drama Behind a Tense Ice Skating Moment

In 1994, the Olympics were rocked by a giant skating scandal. When it was all over, three athletes waited for their medals.

Interviews by Charley Locke

FEATURES

A dark-haired woman wearing an orange shirt and orange pants standing on a sidewalk with fencing behind her.

Carolyn Drake for The New York Times

They Killed Their Abusers. Should They Spend Their Lives in Prison?

A new law was supposed to help reduce the sentences of survivors of domestic violence. Most are still behind bars.

By Pamela Colloff

An illustration of a woman dangling from a gigantic bunch of heart-shaped balloons in several shades of pink and red, against a sky with a few puffy clouds. New York City skyscrapers are silhouetted below her.

Illustration by Giacomo Gambineri

Is Love Addictive? Many Say Yes, and It’s Changing Our Idea of Romance.

Poems and songs say love should be world-shattering. The logic of love addiction suggests that it shouldn’t.

By Sophie Haigney

A photo illustration featuring a black-and-white cutout of Toni Morrison overlaid with red scribbles over partially redacted, typewritten text that includes the words “hope” and “America.”

Photo illustration by Mike McQuade

Ideas

Toni Morrison Was a Master of the Unthinkable

What made her one of our greatest — and most dangerous — novelists was her belief that stories could contain what our minds couldn’t confront.

By Parul Sehgal

COLUMNS

A photo illustration in black, white, and orange that includes stills from “Starship Troopers” and an image of Gregory Bovino in a battle helmet.

Photo illustration by Mark Harris

Screenland

Why Does Everyone Think We’re Living in a Paul Verhoeven Movie?

People often compare imagery of the Trump administration to films like ‘Starship Troopers’ and ‘Total Recall.’ What comfort does the analogy offer?

By T.M. Brown

A photo of someone in a vintage T-shirt.

Alexis Kleshik for The New York Times

Letter of Recommendation

T-Shirts Gave Me the Education I Never Got at School

I was a nervous Gen Z kid who wanted to lead a bolder life — so I turned to clothing older than I am.

By Maddie Barron

A mother and father sitting at a dinner table with two children. An empty chair sits to the right, and a teenager in jeans and a hoodie is walking out a door in the background.

Illustration by Tomi Um

the ethicist

We’re the Guardians of a Difficult Teenager. What Do We Owe Them?

I’ve found myself carrying negative feelings that I don’t want but can’t quite shake.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

An illustration of John Hodgman in judge’s robes, holding a gavel.

Illustration by Louise Zergaeng Pomeroy

Judge John Hodgman

Is It OK to ‘Teach a Lesson’ to Strangers?

A ruling on a mother’s curious locker-room practice.

By John Hodgman

A photograph of two hands holding each other.

Getty Images

How Intense Should Love Really Be? We Want to Hear Your Thoughts.

Have you ever been called a “love addict?” Ever suspected somebody else was?

By Sophie Haigney

For this week’s cover story, Lulu Garcia-Navarro spoke with Gisèle Pelicot, in her first interview with an American media outlet, about surviving years of secret abuse.

A black-and-white image of Gisèle Pelicot.
Photograph by Philip Gay for The New York Times

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