Russian figure star Kamila Valyeva, 17, who was caught in a doping scandal at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, has become the center of attention in Russian sports with her worst performance yet ahead of a disciplinary announcement.
She finished fourth at the Russian Figure Skating Grand Prix, which concluded in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, on Wednesday.
While fourth place isn't considered a "bad performance," it's an unusual result for Valeryeva.
"A sensation happened at the Kazan Grand Prix. Valyeva crashed out of the top three," reported Kommersant.
"Over the weekend, Valyeva's name was mentioned an unrivaled number of times in Russian sports circles."
The tournament was held in Valyeva's hometown of Kazan.
Since her junior days, Valyeva has been a dominant force in the sport, breaking world records with her ability to reliably execute quadruple jumps (four turns), which are difficult for men to do.
This is the first time since the Beijing Winter Olympics that Valyeva hasn't finished on the podium in a competition. It is the first time since the 2018 Moscow Senior Championships that she has failed to finish on the podium at a domestic competition in Russia, local media reported.
Valyeva continued to win medals at domestic competitions in the 2022-2023 season, even after the doping scandal erupted at the Beijing Olympics last February.
Russian athletes have been banned from international competition since the start of the "special military operation" in Ukraine last February, but the figure powerhouse's domestic competitions are just as competitive as its international events.
Valyeva was in the lead after the short program, but a dismal 132.50 in the free skate left her with a total of 213.59 points. Valyeva hasn't scored well above 220-230 since 2018, when she was a junior.
In this competition, Valyeva was penalized more than 10 points for a fall while attempting a quadruple jump and a poorly executed program due to a misjudgment by her coaches.
Valyeva's coach, Yeteri Tutberije, protested that she did not fall but "slipped on her knees.
Some analysts believe that the psychological pressure ahead of the announcement of the doping sanction led to her collapse.
Valyeva was heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) via video two days before the event. The CAS said it would announce whether, how much, and the outcome of her punishment in late January.
Previously, Valyeva won gold in the team figure skating event at the Beijing Winter Olympics, but her performance was marred by the detection of a banned 바카라사이트 substance in her urine sample shortly before the ceremony.
It was later revealed that trimetazidine was detected in a urine test taken at the Russian Championships in December 2021, when Valyeva was 15 years old.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) postponed the ceremony indefinitely, and Valeryeva failed to medal, finishing fourth in the women's singles amid intense scrutiny and criticism.
Valeryeva received full support from Russia in the wake of her doping scandal in 2022, receiving the Order of Friendship, a government honor, but there has been a recent chill.
"She is no longer the untouchable athlete that she used to be," said figure journalist Yelena Beitsekovskaya, who insisted that her results were the result of fair judging.
