Kamila Valieva struck her final pose, then waved to the crowd with one hand. The disappointment was evident on his face.
In one of the most anticipated moments of the Beijing Olympics, an athlete from the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) took the top step of the podium in the women’s figure skating event on Thursday. But twist, it wasn’t about Valieva.
Holding a lead of almost two points after the short program, Valieva was the last skater to start the free program. She landed her first quadruple jump, but then fell twice.
His routine, to the tunes of the song “Bolero,” was strewn with errors. The 15-year-old was in tears when his result, a fourth place finish, was announced. She eventually got a score of 224.09.
Despite the strong performances of her rivals, it is Valieva’s routine that will be remembered.
The teenager became the first woman in Olympic history to land a quadruple jump earlier in the Games, helping the ROC win the team event.
The following day, it was announced that she had tested positive for a cardiac drug banned in December, which called into question the validity of the ROC medal in the mixed event as well as the skater’s participation in the individual component. .
Valieva was cleared to compete earlier this week by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which notably ruled that she had protected status as a minor.
Support from around the world
Once the ordeal was over, an outpouring of love erupted on social media in support of Valieva. Several Internet users wondered if this routine, and the whole context surrounding it, could have a negative impact on the skater’s self-confidence.
According to a translation of what was heard on Russian television, Valieva’s coach Eteri Tutberidze’s first comments to his young skater were: “Why did you give up? Explain me why. Why did you stop fighting? You gave up after that axel. Why ? »
Canadian skaters are among those who have stood up for Valieva.
“I never want to meet Eteri again,” wrote Kaitlyn Weaver, who represented Canada at three Olympic Games.
Meagan Duhamel, a two-time world champion in pairs, said, “EVERY athlete deserves to have a coach who encourages them, who supports them and who loves them. EVERY athlete deserves to have a coach who respects them and wants to make them a better person, not just a medal-winning machine.
“Athletes, if you have a coach who does all of this, you’ve hit the jackpot. Never let him go. »
On the podium
Anna Shcherbakova performed a near-perfect free skate and scored a total of 255.95 to win gold.
“I still haven’t realized that my Olympics are over. All I know is that I skated cleanly. I’m so happy that I don’t realize what’s going on,” said 17-year-old Shcherbakova.
Alexandra Trusova, another ROC color bearer, made history by becoming the first skater to land five quadruple jumps during her routine. His score of 251.73 earned him silver.
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto completed the podium with a final score of 233.13, while Canada’s Madeline Schizas had a tough routine in the free program and finished 19th with a score of 175.56.