Hello. You did not submit the article to which this question refers, which makes it impossible for it to be answered accurately. However, I will try to help you in the best possible way.
Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding were very famous and talented American ice skaters, but in a sports competition, only one person wins the title of champion and because of that, an article author can consider Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding counterparts. In this case, we can consider that the author will present the two girls as rivals in the sport and explain what made them rivals for the competition jury and even for them.
This rivalry may explain the impact of the accident involving their names. This accident occurred when Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by a man who tried to break her legs with an iron rod. This man was hired by Tonya Harding's husband and bodyguard. Although Tonya denied having participated in this attack, she later confessed that she knew of her husband's plans to break Nancy's legs, so that Tonya would have no competitors who could prevent her from winning the competitions.