Valieva falls apart
15-year-old skater finishes in tears after being allowed to compete despite positive drug test
NINE days after being notified of a failed drugs test, 15-year-old Kamila Valieva finally fell apart in front of the watching world on Thursday night, finishing out of the medals following a dramatic Olympic women’s free skate.
On another evening of unforgettable drama at the Capital Indoor Arena, Valieva, who started with a twopoint advantage after Tuesday’s program, fell twice and suffered a series of further errors to plunge to fifth place in the final standings.
Gold went to her Russian compatriot, 17-year-old Anna Shcherbakova, for a season’s best 175.75, taking her to a total of 255.95, just over four points clear of the third member of Eteri Tutberidze’s controversial Sambo-17 club, whose programme included no fewer than five quad jumps.
Japans Kaori Sakamoto hung on to bronze.
Valieva, who had shown only a few signs of pressure during her short program, struggled to maintain her composure after falling on her first triple. She left the ice in tears, and was consoled by Tutberidze after the scores were announced.
A number of athletes and former athletes, including direct rivals of Valieva, had questioned her right to remain
in the competition or the perceived unfairness of allowing her to compete in spite of her positive sample.
That sense of injustice was lent more oxygen following a report in the New York Times on Wednesday that Valieva’s sample contained not only trimetazidine but two other legal heart medications, Hypoxen and LCarnitine, which the Russian’s team even listed on her doping control form. The Russians claimed Valieva may have tested positive for a micro-dose of the banned substance because she shared a drinking cup with her grandfather, who is prescribed the medicine.