Emotional Valieva on track for gold amid doping scandal
Sports Desk, Feb 15 (EFE).- Russian ice skater Kamila Valieva returned to the rink at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on Tuesday where she topped the standings in the Women’s Short Program although ended her outing in tears amid an ongoing doping controversy.
The 15-year-old sensation stumbled on a triple axel but landed a final score of 82.16 to top the rankings heading into Thursday’s decider, although a gold medal performance by the young Russian would not preclude her from a retrospective doping ban.
She would also not celebrate on the podium in Beijing.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday cleared Valieva to compete in the Winter Olympics despite a failed drug test in December.
She tested positive for trimetazidine, a drug prescribed to treat angina pectoris, which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances.
Performing to Kirill Richter’s In Memoriam, Valieva on Tuesday fell short of the record 90.45 points she achieved in January.
She finished ahead of fellow Russian Olympic Committee teammate Anna Shcherbakova and Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto. EFE
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