Former ice dance world champion Alexander Zhulin has said that international sporting authorities will have to live with the consequences of “ruining” Russian star Kamila Valieva’s Olympic dreams after her doping case ordeal in Beijing.
What was expected to be Valieva’s crowning triumph in the Chinese capital turned into a nightmare for the 15-year-old after a positive test for a doping sample taken in December was reported during the Games.
Valieva was cleared for continued competition by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the positive result for heart medicine trimetazidine emerged after she had already won gold with the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in the team event in Beijing.
After putting on a valiant performance in Tuesday’s short skate routine to lead the field in the women’s individual event, Valieva seemed badly impacted by the scandal in a bitterly disappointing free skate program on Thursday, leading her to finish fourth overall as countrywoman Anna Shcherbakova claimed the gold and fellow Russian Alexandra Trusova won silver.