Topline
Russian skater Kamila Valieva took an early lead in the women’s single skating event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on Tuesday after she topped the chart in the short program, a strong performance that comes amid controversy around her being allowed to participate in the event despite testing positive for a banned substance.
Key Facts
Valieva’s pursuit for gold began with a strong performance on Tuesday as she scored a total of 82.16 in the short program.
The 15-year-old stumbled on her triple axel at the start of her routine, a jump she was having some trouble with during her warm ups.
Despite mounting a recovery, Valieva’s early stumble meant that her final score was below her personal best and world record score of 90.45.
The Russian Olympic Committee’s (ROC) Anna Shcherbakova—the current world champion—finished second with a score of 80.20 after putting on a flawless routine which was slightly more modest that her younger compatriot.
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto finished in third place, scoring a personal best 79.84 and edging out ROC’s Alexandra Trusova.
Valieva and twenty four other skaters will be moving on to Thursday’s free skate round.
What To Watch For
With her chart-topping performance in the short program, the Russian teenager will start as a heavy favorite to win gold in the women’s single skating event. However, the International Olympic Committee has said that there will be no medal ceremony for the event if Valieva finishes in the top three. The IOC stated a ceremony “would not be appropriate” in light of the investigation around Valieva’s failed drug test. The ceremony will take place at a later date once the matter is resolved.
Chief Critic
Former U.S. figure skater and Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski—the youngest ever to win Olympic gold—was critical of the decision to allow Valieva to skate in Beijing. Speaking during NBC’s broadcast of the event, Lipinski said: “To be honest, I almost don’t believe what I’m seeing. Seeing her on Olympic ice right now with everything we’ve discovered over the last week. I did not think this was going to happen and I don’t think it should be happening.” In an earlier broadcast Lipinski had expressed empathy towards the 15-year old noting that she knows first hand the overwhelming pressure that comes with competing at the Olympics at that age but added that “clean sport is the only thing that matters.”
Key Background
The controversy around Valieva began last week, after her record setting performance helped ROC win gold in the team figure skating event last Tuesday. But their medal ceremony was delayed as the IOC said it needed time for a “legal consultation.” On Friday, the International Testing Agency disclosed that a sample collected from the skater on December 25, 2021, during the 2022 Russian Figure Skating Championships, recently tested positive for trimetazidine—a heart medication that is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) banned list. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), which oversaw the national competition, initially handed Valieva an interim ban from the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday but this was overturned by the body’s disciplinary panel following an appeal the next day. The ITA, on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, the challenged RUSADA’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday. On Monday, the CAS ruled that Valieva will be allowed to compete due to certain “exceptional circumstances” including her young age and the delayed notification of her test result. The CAS ruling, however, only covers Valieva’s eligibility to compete in her event and she may still face punishment for her failed drug test.
Further Reading
Russia’s Embroiled In Another Olympic Drug Scandal. Here’s How It All Started. (Forbes)
