Kamila Valieva, the teenager at the center of a doping scandal that has rocked the Beijing Olympics, finished fourth in the women’s figure skating final on Thursday after a flaw-ridden performance handed Russian teammate Anna Shcherbakova gold. Shcherbakova scored 255.95 overall to seal the title, while Valieva, who was allowed to compete despite failing a doping test for the Games, fell several times and slipped from the medal positions in Beijing. It was a big shock for 15-year-old Valieva, who looked completely broken at the end of her program.
Another Russian, Alexandra Trusova, took silver and Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto won bronze.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had said that if Valieva finished in the top three, no medals would be awarded until “due process” was followed to decide whether she had broken the World Anti-Doping Code.
But given the result, the award ceremony went ahead and the skaters will receive their medals on Friday.
Shcherbakova (17) said: “My goal was to come off the ice with the full realization that I did my maximum.
“Today that was how it was. I left the ice incredibly happy.”
Shcherbakova, who is also the reigning world champion, said she would speak to Valieva privately later.
“I saw from her first jump how hard it was, what a burden it was for her,” she said. “It’s more than hard to go through to the end after a few things happen.”
Valieva was a clear favorite at the Games, but it turned out that in December she tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart drug banned by athletes because it can help increase stamina.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled Monday that it can continue to compete in the Chinese capital.
Dressed in black and red, Valieva seemed focused as she ran onto the ice, cheered by the crowd, as well as a large contingent of her teammates.
But she failed to complete multiple jumps that she completed with ease when she ran the same ‘Bolero’ program to help the Russians win the team event earlier in the Games.
She got 141.93 for it, almost 40 points less than last week.
Supported by her coaches and seemingly bewildered, she sat down in the “kiss and cry” room — where skaters wait to receive their scores — and sobbed.
She did not speak to the media when she left the arena.
Skating just ahead of Valieva, Shcherbakova’s lithe, graceful movement and two successful quad jumps had propelled her into the lead.
Dressed in a glittering burgundy dress and skating on a dramatic classical medley, Shcherbakova clenched her fists in celebration as the music died.
Seventeen-year-old Trusova won the free skate with an edgy routine that included five quad jumps—though not all of them landed cleanly—on the “Cruella” soundtrack.
But her total score of 251.73 was lower than Shcherbakova’s, leaving her with silver.
After Valieva came off the ice, an enraged, crying Trusova was caught on camera threatening not to attend the medal ceremony.
“I hate this sport,” she said repeatedly. “I hate all this… I don’t want to go.”
At a press conference later, she said it was just “emotions”.
“For the past three years…I haven’t won a single major competition. And I tried to explain this by the fact that I was trying to reach lofty goals and do more quad jumps — and when I did this, I would I would win, I thought,” she said.
Sakamoto, who had come in free skate ahead of Trusova, finished with 233.13.
In contrast to the collapse of the Russian team, she and her teammate Wakaba Higuchi elatedly embraced.
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“I couldn’t even imagine getting bronze,” said Sakamoto. “It’s just so unbelievable. I almost cried.”
Due to Valieva’s involvement and the investigation that will follow, the International Olymic Committee has said that the medals for the team event will not be awarded during these Games.
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