Kamila Valieva in Tears After Repeated Mistakes at Winter Olympics Skating Event
The 15-year-old landed the fourth place.
A gloomy atmosphere fell upon the women’s figure skating event at the Beijing Winter Olympics after Kamila Valieva broke down in tears due to a series of mistakes.
The 15-year-old was embroiled in a doping controversy amid the second half of the individual event, in which she tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine back in December. However, the athlete was still able to compete based on the premise that she was a minor. Although Valieva was projected to make it to the podium, she made several errors that landed her in fourth place. The figure skater reportedly refused to speak with the press afterward.
American figure skater Tara Lipinski voiced her opinions on the matter in an interview with NBC, saying: “I can’t imagine how tough this has been on [Valieva] and it makes me angry that the adults around her weren’t able to make better decisions and be there for her, because she’s the one now dealing with the consequences and she’s just 15.”
Valieva’s teammates were no less emotional after the event. Alexandra Trusova, who won second place, was viscerally unhappy with her results, citing her hate for the sport since she failed to win a gold medal. Meanwhile, Anna Shcherbakova seemed to depict a distant demeanor after emerging as champion.
