Scandal in the Olympic Figure Skating World

A new scandal hit the Olympic Figure Skating World as 15 year old Russian Olympic Figure Skater, Kamila Valieva, tested positive for a heart-enhancement drug on February 7.

Kamila Valieva was scheduled to be a very prominent figure skater throughout the Beijing Olympics this year. She performed at the highest level in the 2022 European Championships in order to qualify for the 2022 Olympics causing many to believe her to be another rising star of figure skating. She even proved this to be true when she assisted her Russian team who won gold in the team figure skating event. She scored a 90.18 and performed one incredible hard jump, twice, making her the first woman to perform the quadruple jump in the Olympics.

Unfortunately, later that day, her drug results came back positive with the drug trimetazidine. Trimetazidine is a heart-related drug that is widely used to treat people with coronary artery disease. This drug helps the body break down fatty acids so that your body can use oxygen more efficiently, which allows for more blood flow to the heart and limits spikes in blood pressure. This drug would have helped Kamila have longer endurance during her skate and perform at a higher level if it was still in her body at the time. The drug test that came back positive was taken before the Olympics had started, December 25, 2021. But, due to the test result, the Russian Anti-Doping Committee suspended Kamila for one day. By February 9, her suspension was revoked.

Kamila Valieva was scheduled to compete on February 15th in the women’s short program, and she received an 82.16, the leading score in the competition. This led her to move on and compete in the individual free skate on February 17th, where she, unfortunately, made several mistakes and fell.

While she did not perform to her highest level on her last day of competing, she was still cheered for her fellow Russians when she flew home.

In light of the recent doping scandal, the Russian Anti-Doping Committee is reviewing information and will make a decision on whether or not Kamila deserves to keep the gold medal she won in the team event. The World Doping Committee will be following up on the results of the Russian Anti-Doping Committees’ decision.

Kamila Valieva is emotional after receiving her score, with her coach and choreographer providing support behind her.

Matthew Stockman / Getty Images