Back in 2022, a 15-year-old figure skater, Kamila Valieva, was on top of the world after helping her Russian team win gold in the team event at the Beijing Winter Olympics. However, just two years later, her world collapsed as CAS disqualified her results after she tested positive for a banned substance in a pre-Olympic sample, and Valieva also received a 4-year ban, and her Olympic medal was stripped away from the entire team. Although Valieva denied any intentional wrongdoing, fast forward to 2026, and she is finding a silver lining.

Valieva defended the charges levied against her and claimed that the contaminant entered her system accidentally from her grandfather’s medication. She also claimed that she consumed a strawberry dessert that was prepared on the same plate that contained medication. Although she was a minor at that time, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found this version lacked concrete evidence and punished her. The four-year ban gave her plenty of time to reflect on the world.

“I think if you have to look for the positive in everything, then you can find some positives in the disqualification too,” she said. She added that the first months of her suspension felt unusually free in terms of training load, describing it as “absolutely fantastic… in terms of any kind of volume, physical and otherwise.” When asked what felt different, she pointed to one simple change: “They stopped weighing me.”

Kamila Valieva spoke about how strict daily weigh-ins were part of her training life under coach Eteri Tutberidze, while training within the Sambo-70 system at the Khrustalny rink in Moscow (though she did not mention her name, but at that time, she was training under her). She said, “Even though I tried (to practice) healthy eating, we were still weighed every day at lunch. And you know, those extra 100-200 grams were the problem.”

Kamila Valieva also explained the mental pressure aspect of it, “Weighing yourself every day can lead to eating disorders, which I had. It’s a really sensitive topic” for most girls in figure skating. She continued, “If you have 200 grams, you’re done. You won’t skate or jump anymore. Weighing ourselves is what triggers us to become overweight. I don’t need to be reminded 100 times a day that something’s wrong with me. I know that. I see it.”

Over the years, skaters from the same training system have spoken about similar experiences. Yulia Lipnitskaya once described strict dietary control, with Tutberidze saying, “When she has to lose weight, all she eats is powdered nutrients, which give her energy.” Even another skater from the same centre, Alina Zagitova, said, “During the Olympic season, I hardly drank any water. To maintain my weight, I even limited my fluid intake.”

That kind of environment is part of why Valieva has spoken differently about her suspension years later. Now 19, Valieva has returned to competitive skating.

Kamila Valieva makes a comeback on home turf

Now 19, Kamila Valieva has returned to competitive skating, but not on the same stage as before. She appeared at the Russian Jumping Championships (2026) in Moscow, a jump-only event where skaters are judged only on technical elements, not full programs. She opened her performance with a clean quadruple toeloop, earning applause from the crowd.

It earned a place in the semifinals, and she finished sixth in the “duets” jumping segment, but did not make it to the final. The event was nationally televised. But at the same time, her return comes with limits. She was not eligible for the 2026 Winter Olympics. And for now, her competitions are restricted to domestic events in Russia.

Kamila Valieva’s training routine has also changed. After leaving her long-time camp under Eteri Tutberidze, she moved to a new setup under Svetlana Sokolovskaya and trains at the Navka Arena in Moscow.

But the bigger question now is where this path can lead next. Could there still be a return to the biggest stage in sport at the 2030 Winter Olympics, when she will be 23, and possibly in a very different form than before? Right now, it is less about medals and more about finding rhythm again in a sport that once defined her very early life.