Beijing 2022: Teen Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva cleared to compete following dope test failure

Last week, 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva made it to the headlines for two back to back but contrasting reasons. Just days after winning a team figure skating gold at the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics and becoming the first woman ever to land a quadruple jump at the Games, the Russian teenager was found to have failed a dope test from December. There were mixed receptions regarding the situation, but the youngster has received clearance to continue.

According to a report from Reuters, the International Testing Agency (ITA) states that Kamila Valieva underwent a dope test back on 25th December which was conducted by Russian officials, the results of which arrived last week during the Winter Games. It was revealed that traces of the banned heart drug Trimetazidine, also known as TMZ, was found in the urine samples of Valieva. TMZ is categorized under World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of prohibited substances as “hormone and metabolic modulator” since 2014, and both its in and out of competition use is illegal for athletes.

Kamila Valieva’s legal team cite possible contamination from grandfather’s heart medication

The athlete had received sympathy from the figure skater fraternity and fans while accusations were brought up against her coaches, medical officials, and authorities. Valieva’s legal team had cited that the positive test was possibly due to her grandfather’s heart medication and claimed that she could have been contaminated from a glass of water that contained traces of the substance.

“There can be completely different ways how it got into her body,” said Valieva’s lawyer Anna Kozmenko during the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing on Sunday, which was quoted by Russian newspaper Pravda.

“For example, grandfather drank something from a glass, saliva got in, this glass was somehow later used by an athlete. Or the drug lay down on some surface, traces remained, the drug lay down on this surface, which the athlete then drank,” Kozmenko added. [H/T The Guardian]

The clearance from CAS will allow Valieva to compete in the women’s skating event, which is set to commence on Tuesday and will last until Thursday, in which the youngster is expected to bag a gold.

Highlights:

• Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva receives clearance from CAS to compete in the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics following dope test failure
• The teenager’s legal team cited possible contamination from grandfather’s heart medication