(BEIJING) — Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian famous person who was anticipated to ship her nation its third straight Olympic gold medal in ladies’s determine skating, examined constructive for a banned coronary heart treatment earlier than the Beijing Video games, the Russian newspaper RBC reported.
The pattern was reportedly obtained earlier than Valieva received the European championship final month in Estonia, a efficiency that solidified her standing because the chief of Russia’s “quad squad” of elite ladies’s determine skaters headed to Beijing.
The constructive take a look at may price Russia the gold medal from the crew competitors and threaten Valieva’s likelihood to win the person competitors that begins Tuesday. She is the heavy favourite.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]
The drug detected, trimetazidine, is a metabolic agent that helps forestall angina assaults and treats vertigo, in line with the European Union’s medicines company. It’s banned by the World Anti-Doping Company as a result of it will probably assist endurance and improve blood stream effectivity.
Essentially the most well-known case of trimetazidine in sports activities doping concerned Chinese language star swimmer Solar Yang. The three-time Olympic champion served a three-month ban in 2014. Russian bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva examined constructive for trimetazidine on the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. She was disqualified from the two-woman bobsled occasion and served an eight-month ban.
It’s unclear whether or not Valieva utilized for a therapeutic use exemption or has a historical past of coronary heart issues.
Russian athletes are in Beijing competing because the “Russian Olympic Committee” (ROC), after the nation was banned due to an enormous state-sponsored doping scheme on the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
The Worldwide Olympic Committee and Switzerland-based Worldwide Testing Company, which oversees the Olympic drug testing program, have declined to touch upon the case. It’s difficult as a result of minors have safety throughout the World Anti-Doping Code from being recognized.
The primary indication of an issue with the outcomes of the three-day crew competitors – which concluded Monday with Russia successful gold, the U.S. silver and Japan bronze – got here when the medal ceremony was postponed indefinitely.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams stated Wednesday that “authorized session” was required between the Olympic committee and the Worldwide Skating Union. He gave few particulars, however Adams acknowledged that “now we have athletes which have received medals concerned.”
If the Russian crew is disqualified, the U.S. crew could be elevated to the gold medal for the primary time within the occasion. Japan could be awarded silver and fourth-place finisher Canada, the defending champion, would obtain the bronze.
If any athlete and crew is disqualified or had outcomes nullified, an enchantment is probably going, which may additional delay the medals presentation. The Court docket of Arbitration for Sport has arrange an workplace in Beijing to listen to pressing instances.
Valieva’s standing for the person competitors subsequent week has additionally been solid doubtful. She has not taken half in any follow in Beijing for the reason that crew competitors. Her coach Eteri Tutberidze has been seen watching over her different two pupils, Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, who could be elevated to favorites with out Valieva.
Reporters requested the Kremlin concerning the potential doping concern late Wednesday amid hypothesis that the gold medals received by Valieva and 5 different Russian skaters that took half within the crew competitors could possibly be in danger.
“Let’s, for the sake of understanding, watch for some explanations both from our sports activities officers or from the IOC,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated.
Whereas the Russian crew dominated the competitors, it was Valieva that shone brightest. Together with successful the brief program and free skate, she turned the primary lady to land a quadruple bounce in Olympic competitors, giving her crew the utmost variety of factors whereas underscoring her standing as the person favourite.
Lots of the skaters that took half within the crew competitors, together with American star Nathan Chen and Russian’s Mark Kondratiuk, are as a result of depart Beijing shortly after competing Thursday’s free skate. It’s unclear if a medal ceremony might be held.
“Everyone seems to be doing completely all the things that the state of affairs may be resolved as quickly as attainable,” Adams stated, although he cautioned “as you already know, authorized points can typically drag on.”
Conventional doping is rare in determine skating as a result of further muscle mass — weight — is usually a damaging. However many skaters have been caught over time making an attempt to regulate their weight with diuretics, that are banned for his or her capability to masks steroid use, and different medicines that would give them the slightest edge.
Russian skaters specifically have a historical past of constructive outcomes courting to 2000, when embellished pairs skater Elena Berezhnaya was stripped of a gold medal from the European championships for testing constructive for pseudoephedrine.
Three years in the past, pairs skater Alexandra Koshevaya was given a two-year ban after testing constructive for torasemide, which she claimed to have used for a foot damage. Later that yr, ice dancer Anastasia Shakun was given a one-year suspension for taking furosemide after she claimed a pharmacy recommended it for swelling in her eye.
In July 2020, Maria Sotskova was dealt a 10-year ban simply months after asserting her retirement for allegedly forging a medical certificates to clarify a doping violation. Sotskova completed eighth on the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.
___
Related Press author Dasha Litvinova contributed to this report.
