There’s no such thing as a guaranteed Olympic gold medal. Winning one, in the vast majority of cases, will be the conclusion of years of blood, sweat, and toil.
It’s not something that is handed to you on a plate.
But heading into the Beijing Winter Games, Kamila Valieva seemed about as close as you could get to being nailed-on for a gold medal.
In her first season in the ladies’ senior figure skating ranks, Valieva has obliterated the opposition. She set world records on the way to Grand Prix titles in Vancouver and Sochi, as well as in her imperious victory at the European Championships in Tallinn in January. No one could come close as Valieva blew her domestic competition off the ice at the Russian nationals at the end of December.
Valieva’s dominance is such that it is not entirely flippant to suggest that she might be better off competing with the men.
In Beijing, Valieva she was primed to be propelled to stardom way beyond that which she already enjoys in figure skating circles. Her performance in her short skate routine during the team event confirmed exactly that. It was a thing of such beauty that it captured the imagination of everyone from Hollywood actors to lesser-known British tennis professionals. Even some of the Western media outlets often so begrudging with their praise of Russian athletes were forced – perhaps through gritted teeth – to lavish praise on Valieva.
Valieva’s second performance on the ice in Beijing, when she completed her free skate routine for the ROC team, saw the blemish of a fall but was nonetheless historic as she became the first women in Olympic history to land a quad. Even with her slip-up, Valieva finished a full 30 points ahead of her nearest challenger, Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, when the scores were dished out for their routines.
It was the crowning glory for the ROC team’s gold medal. Next, the stage was set for Valieva to shine in the ladies’ singles event. It’s not hyperbolic to suggest that appetites had been whetted for one of the finest sights of these Winter Games – or indeed any others before them. Individual gold was firmly within her grasp.