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Reuters

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Reuters

After leading Russia to the gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been surrounded by controversy. In the latest development, the 17-year-old has been found guilty of failing a doping test on December 25, 2021, and now faces a ban from all competitions for four years till 2025.

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While Russia is expected to be stripped of its medal, it’s a victory for the U. S skating team. But amidst the victory of fair sporting, an old video of Kamila being treated unfairly has resurfaced on the internet and the Russian coaching system is under scrutiny.

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Kamila Valieva was unfairly treated by the coach at the Olympics

During the Beijing Winter Olympics, Kamila Valieva wasn’t having the best of time. She failed twice during her free skate program. While it’s normal and athletes need to be supported during these times, the opposite happened with Kamila. The Russian skater was criticized heavily by her coach Eteri Tutberidze as the video of unfair treatment resurfaced on the internet. “Why did you let it go?”, Eteri could be seen saying in a hard-toned voice.

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The teenage sensation had steered off the ice, and her coach was alleging a lack of fight from her. “Why did you stop fighting? Explain it to me-Why? You let it go after that axel. Why?”, she further questions Kamila. No athlete will stop fighting to win, that too on the biggest stage, and the harsh words from the Russian coach seems to be demotivating for Kamila. The then 15-year-old later finished 4th, and as she cried, Eteri tapped on her back to console the Olympic skater.

Glory for the US, Despair for Russia

The doping controversy surrounding Kamila had been going on for 2 years now, but there’s finally a conclusive judgment. Kamila Valieva has been banned from the sport for 4 years starting from December 25, 2021, due to anti-doping violations. Russia is expected to be docked 20 points which will also strip Russia from their gold medal.

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READ MORE: 600 Days and Counting, Kamila Valieva Case Continues to Hurt US Figure Skating After Yet Another Delay in Legal Proceedings

While it’s despair for Russia, American figure skating will finally get its medal, presumably gold. The U.S. had 67 points while Russia will now take the bronze at 54 points after they get docked 20 from their previous 74. Canada is expected to exchange their bronze with silver at 55 points. On the other hand, Kamila, being at such a young age, must be going through a lot, and the world can only hope she heals with time.

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Written by

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Zahid Rashid Dar

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Zahid Rashid Dar is an Olympic Sports writer at EssentiallySports. With four years of experience as a combat sports correspondent, Zahid stepped into the Olympics fold at EssentiallySports. He started his coverage at EssentiallySports with rodeo, bull riding, and Alpine Skiing. He actively covers slalom races and demonstrated his journalistic skills through his live coverage of the 2023/24 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, where he detailed the season stat breakdown of Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova. While exploring the snow-covered Alps, Zahid found his footing in snowboarding and hence, he often writes about the three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White’s career statistics and post-retirement front. To know more about Zahid, follow him on:-

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Sampurna Pal

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