The 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, who became the first woman to land a quad at the Winter Olympics, had tested positive for a banned substance.
Kamila Valieva’s problematic test was taken before the start of the Olympic Games. On Monday, the Russian team won the title in the third-ever team competition (the discipline debuted in Sochi 2014), with the 15-year-old sensation Kamila Valieva at the heart of the success. She made two quad Salchows, which involves four complete rotations in the air. She then went on to land a quad toeloop and triple Axel in the same routine, though she fell on her second quad toeloop attempt. So far no other woman in the history of figure skating has managed to make even one jump with such a rotation. This brought Valieva the highest grade in both the short and free programs.
It is not yet clear exactly what the problem is with Valieva’s test, as she is under 16 years-old and thus cannot be officially accused of doping. For this reason, a whole team of lawyers is currently working on the case to find a legal solution. If the Russian woman is punished after all, the sanctions she will face will be much lighter due to her still childish age.
Kamila Valieva practiced as usual on Thursday, hours after reports surfaced that she had tested positive for a banned substance
“She is not suspended”, said the Russian figure skating federation spokeswoman Olga Ermolina, without giving further details.
