Kamila Valieva's Return to Competition Marred by Errors in Moscow
The highly anticipated comeback of former Olympic figure skating prodigy Kamila Valieva encountered significant hurdles this weekend. Competing in her first event since completing a four-year doping suspension, the 19-year-old finished a disappointing sixth in the semi-finals of the Russian Jumping Championships on Sunday.
A Rocky Performance on the Ice
Valieva's performance at Moscow's Navka arena was marked by technical difficulties from the outset. Her routine began with a bobbled landing on an opening quadruple toe loop, followed by a fall on her second attempt. She concluded with a messy combination of a double flip and triple Salchow, failing to secure a top-three spot needed to advance to the final round.
This specialized jumping competition format allowed skaters just 90 seconds each to execute a series of jumps, accompanied only by generic background music. The event starkly contrasted with traditional figure skating programs that include artistic components.
Contrasting Performances Across the Weekend
The Sunday struggles followed a more promising showing in Saturday's quarter-finals, where Valieva successfully landed a clean quadruple toe loop—a jump mastered by only a select few female skaters worldwide. This brief moment of technical excellence offered a glimpse of the talent that once made her an Olympic contender.
Despite her error-filled semi-final skate, Valieva received strong support from attending fans who waved banners bearing her name and showered the ice with dozens of plush toys following her performance.
Olympic Eligibility and Ongoing Consequences
Valieva remains ineligible for the upcoming Milano Cortina Olympics, which commence this Friday. Her continued exclusion from international competition underscores the lasting impact of the doping scandal that emerged during the 2022 Beijing Games.
Meanwhile, three-time Russian national champion Adeliia Petrosian will represent Russia as an Individual Neutral Athlete at the Olympics and is considered among the contenders for the women's title.
Background: The 2022 Doping Controversy
The current competition marks Valieva's return to the spotlight nearly four years after she became the center of a global controversy at age 15. The scandal erupted when a sample taken two months before the 2022 Olympics tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine.
The failed test emerged after Valieva had already helped the Russian team secure gold in the team event—a result from which she was later disqualified, elevating the United States to the top podium position. Under intense international scrutiny during the individual women's event, she finished fourth while receiving harsh public criticism from her coach, Eteri Tutberidze.
In response to the controversy, the International Skating Union subsequently raised the minimum age for Olympic skaters to 17, implementing what many observers call the "Valieva rule."
