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Olympic figure skating sensation Kamila Valieva cracked a smile during a training session on Thursday despite being the focus of Russia's latest drug testing scandal just a day earlier.
Valieva, who is the favorite to win gold in the women’s individual event next week, skated with teammate Alexandra Trusova during a 30-minute training session but looked unfazed by the recent reports that she tested positive for a banned substance which delayed Tuesday’s medal ceremony for the team event where the Russian Olympic Committee won gold.
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Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, talks to coaches at a training session at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Little details are known about the situation which is complicated by the 15-year-old’s age.
The ROC, followed by the United States and Japan, were to be honored during their official medal ceremony on Tuesday, but the event was pulled from the schedule without explanation.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters during a daily news briefing the following day that the issue required "legal consultation" with the governing body of skating. He offered little information other than confirming that "We have athletes that have won medals involved."
Russian media later reported that Valieva, whose first-place performance in the women's free skate helped secure the Russian’s gold medal, tested positive for trimetazidine, a metabolic drug that helps prevent angina attacks and treats vertigo. It is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency because it can help endurance and increase blood flow efficiency, both of which could help a figure skater.
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Kamila Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee during training. (REUTERS/Toby Melville)
The test sample in question was taken sometime in December, Reuters reported, citing local Russian media.
Valieva declined to speak to reporters after her training session while teammate Mark Kondratiuk replied "no comment" when asked about the situation. Russian figure skating federation spokeswoman Olga Ermolina provided little more, only confirming that Valieva was "not suspended" meaning her status for Tuesday’s event remains unchanged for the time being, The Associated Press reported.
On Thursday, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said it would not be appropriate to talk of an ongoing legal case or "all sorts of speculation that I have also seen overnight."
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The lack of transparency could be in part due to Valieva’s age. According to a Reuters report, The World Anti-Doping Agency’s rules state that athletes over the age of 18 will be publicly identified after a positive test but the same is not required of minors.
Kamila Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee during training.
If the Russian team is disqualified, the U.S. team would be elevated to the gold medal for the first time in the event. Japan would be awarded silver and fourth-place finisher Canada would receive the bronze.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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