ROC's Kamila Valieva Fails To Medal In Free Skate Amid Doping Scandal

By Jason Hall

February 17, 2022

Figure Skating - Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Day 13
Photo: Getty Images

Russia Olympic Committee (ROC) figure skater Kamila Valieva failed to medal during the women's individual figure skating event during a controversial 2022 Winter Olympics in which she'd been at the center of a doping scandal, ESPN reports.

Valieva, 15, took several falls during her routine, earning 224.09 points and finishing in fourth place.

ROC teammate Anna Scherbakova won gold after scoring 255.95 in her free skate performance, but also appeared to look devastated when her final scores were announced.

Many presumed the ongoing Beijing Games would serve as a coronation for Valieva as figure skating's next superstar, however, have instead been marred by news of her failed drug test in December due to the banned heart medication trimetazidine and the controversial decision to allow her to compete overshadowing the competition.

A ceremony would not have been held had Valieva won gold due to the ongoing investigation into the doping scandal and numerous figures within the figure skating community were outraged over her inclusion in the competition.

ROC teammate Alexandra Trusova won the silver medal for her performance, but said she didn't want to participate in the medal ceremony while sobbing.

Japan's Kaori Sakamoto won bronze in the event.

Valieva tested positive for the banned heart medication during the Russian championships in December, but results from the test weren't revealed until last week, after she had already helped the ROC win gold in the team competition.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Valieva was cleared to participate in the free skate event as she had protected status as a minor and would suffer "irreparable harm" if banned from competing, but didn't rule on the full scope of the case, which will instead be handled by anti-doping investigators.

Valieva claimed the trimetazidine entered her system accidentally, but the World Anti-Doping Agency said two other legal substances the 15-year-old acknowledged taking -- L-carnitine and Hypoxen -- argue agains the claim that a banned substance would have been ingested by accident.

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