Kamila Valieva, the Russian figure skater at the center of the latest Olympic doping scandal, took the lead in the women’s short program, earning 82.16 points and topping teammates Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova. The 15-year-old Valieva broke down into tears as she awaited her scores, in what was her first competition since a ruling cleared her after she failed a drug test ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Valieva had tested positive for a banned heart medication, trimetazidine, in Russia in December, but her test result only came to light last week. The court said the investigation into the doping offense would take months to resolve and it gave a favorable decision for her in part because she was a minor or “protected person,” making her subject to different rules from an adult athlete.
The decision drew condemnation from USOPC president Sarah Hirshland and accusations of racial bias from American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, who wasn’t allowed to run in the Tokyo Olympics because she tested positive for THC – an ingredient found in marijuana.
On Tuesday, Denis Oswald, the permanent chair of the International Olympic Committee’s disciplinary commission, elaborated on the ruling, saying there was a mix-up with Valieva grandfather’s heart medication: “She presented elements which brought some doubts about her guilt, and also she was in a very special situation that the Olympic Games take place only every four years and if she would miss the competition at this Games, the damage could not be repaired.” However, the IOC has said that there would be no medal ceremony for the event and there would be no medal ceremony if Valieva places in the top three in the women’s individual figure skating.
Twenty-five of the top 30 skaters will move onto the free skate round Thursday – the second part of the women’s singles figure skating competition.
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