After days of fuss about her doping offense, figure skater Kamila Valiyeva from the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) finished fourth in the Olympic women’s singles. The only 15-year-old could not withstand the superhuman pressure. “If I had been a father, she would have brought herself home long ago. I just feel sorry for her as a person“Said sports show commentator Daniel Weiss after the botched appearance of the highly traded prodigy.
“She couldn’t win”
The former figure skater Katarina Witt was completely upset after the drama about the European champion and cried: “This is unbearable. Exactly what happened that should have been protected from. She’s 15, she’s a kid”, said the two-time figure skating Olympic champion in tears in the sports show. And she found drastic words: “They have been thrown to the world to eat. She couldn’t win the game.”
Witt renewed her call for an age limit: “Now is exactly the time to consider whether there shouldn’t be an age limit, because what is being done here with the talent is irresponsible. I’m almost afraid that she won’t make it – and the next 14-year-old runner will there is.”
Olympic champions from 2014 and 2018 “disappeared”
The topic of age limits is very important to Witt: the last Olympic champions in figure skating, Adelina Sotnikova 2014 in Sochi and Alina Sagitowa 2018 in Pyeongchang, were not yet 18 years old when they were successful.
At the time, Witt was happy about her victories and hoped to be able to continue observing her further development – but both no longer took part in the Olympics. “The runners are gone. I wish I could follow them in competitions. Why is it that we want 15, 16-year-old girls to reach the peak of their careers? Can’t you put that off ?”
The athletic power of the young girls is enormous – they can do jumps that were unimaginable 30 years ago. The Russian association would have preferred to nominate 14-year-old Adelja Petrosian, who is said to be able to jump two quadruple Rittbergers in a row. Which not even Valieva is capable of.