Kamila Valieva

Kamila Valieva is a Russian figure skater known for her technical achievements and involvement in a high-profile doping case at the 2022 Winter Olympics. After securing a gold medal at the 2019 Junior Grand Prix in Courchevel, France, Kamila Valieva quickly established herself as a phenomenon in figure skating. Her international junior debut also saw her become only the second female skater in history to successfully land a quadruple toe loop in competition. Earlier, her 2018-19 short program to ‘Spiegel im Spiegel’ garnered widespread acclaim, even capturing the attention of Pablo Picasso’s granddaughter, Diana Widmaier Picasso.

Capping off an extraordinary senior debut, Valieva won the 2022 Russian National Championships in December 2021, and during this period, she further broke world records for short program, free skate, and total scores in senior events. Valieva continued her winning streak into 2022, securing the gold medal at the 2022 European Championships. Her participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics marked a significant turning point in her career when a sample from December 2021 tested positive for trimetazidine. While initially cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to compete in the individual event due to ‘protected person’ status and issues with delayed notification, her athletic achievements were recognized with the Order of Friendship from President Vladimir Putin in April 2022.

The subsequent and final ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) led to the disqualification of her Olympic results and a four-year ban, retroactive to December 25, 2021. This decision also resulted in the stripping of her 2022 European Championships and Olympic team event medals. Following the ban, Kamila Valieva has continued to participate in domestic Russian competitions, demonstrating her ongoing commitment and talent within the sport.