Saransk (AP) – Five weeks after the Olympic doping scandal surrounding Kamila Valiyeva, the Russian figure skater was euphorically celebrated by the fans when she returned to the ice.
In Saransk, Russia, the 15-year-old missed out on winning the tournament on her first appearance after the Winter Games, finishing second behind Olympic champion Anna Schcherbakova. Nevertheless, Valiyeva, whose doping case and the subsequent discussion about how to deal with underage athletes caused a stir in Beijing, should feel like a winner. “I’m very happy to be on the ice, it’s an incredible feeling. The fans give you energy when you’re tired. They keep you going,” Valiyeva said.
After the short program Valiewa had led with her quadruple jumps. After her bolero freestyle, for which she received 173.88 points, she had to give way to Schcherbakowa (176.12). After her freestyle, she clenched both fists with joy, the spectators threw cuddly toys onto the ice and celebrated them with chants. Smiling, she then hugged her controversial trainer Eteri Tutberidze and beamed into the TV cameras.
“It’s hard to imagine”
“It’s hard to imagine, but only a month has passed since the Olympics. About four weeks – and the nightmare that the whole country went through together with Valiyeva seems like a memory from another life. As if it had this rush, the insane pressure (…) never existed,” wrote the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda.
At the tournament in Saransk, which the Russians, who were not admitted to the World Cup because of the aggressive war in Ukraine, held as a counter-event, Valiyeva’s still open doping case played no role.
A banned substance was discovered in a doping sample taken by Valiyeva on December 25. However, the result only became known on February 8 – one day after the Russians’ victory with Valiyeva in the Olympic team competition. The team medals have not yet been awarded due to the unsolved case. After that, Valiewa was allowed to start in the individual after days of turmoil, led after the short program, but then couldn’t withstand the massive public pressure and missed out on a medal in fourth place.
After that, she was harshly criticized by her coach Tutberidze. IOC boss Thomas Bach had criticized Tutberidze’s behavior afterwards.