Kamila Valeryevna Valieva, born on April 26, 2006 in Kazan, Russia, came to be known as one of the best Russian figure skaters.
Unexpectedly, there came the news that Valieva tested positive for a banned substance for angina on December 25, 2021. The International Testing Agency confirmed that she failed the drug test.
As a result, Kamila Valieva was provisionally suspended on February 8 but she challenged the decision and the Russian Anti Doping Agency (RUSADA) lifted the ban the next day. The Olympic Committee, International skating union and world anti doping agency launched an appeal with Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against RUSADA’s decision.
However, CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb said, “The athlete should benefit from the following exceptional circumstances: She is under 16 and a protected person under the Wada code.”
Kamila Valieva could compete again at the Winter Olympics after the sport’s highest court ruled “exceptional circumstances” meant the 15-year-old Russian figure skater should not be provisionally suspended for a failed drugs test.
An unstoppable athlete
Valeryevna was first coached by Kseniaiva. When she was six years old, she moved to Moscow to get trained at SSHOR Moskvich.
In 2018, Valieva decided to switch skating clubs to Sambo-70 where Eteric Tutberidze decided to allow Valieva to join her group. Speaking of her international debut, we can say that her international debut came at a junior grand prix competition in Courchevel, France in 2019.
Ranked third in the short program and first in the free skate, she won the gold medal ahead of Wi Seo Yeong of South Korea. Amazingly, at the competition, Valieva became the second female skater to land a quadruple toe loop in competition. Her total score at the event was the fourth highest score achieved by a ladies single skater at the junior level.
After the 2020 JGP Russia, She was placed first in both programs with personal best scores to take the title ahead of compatriots Ksenia Sinitsyna and Viktoria Vaslieva. She had attempted two quadruple toe loops in the free skate for the first time, landing one with two gold medals. She qualified in the first place to the 2019-2020 Junior Grand Prix Final in Italy.
However, sadly, prior to the 2019-2020 Junior Grand Prix Final, a minor injury prevented Valieva from training the quadruple toe loop jump. She entered the final as a co-favourite for the title along with Alysa Liu of the United States.
After being placed fourth in the short program, Valieva delivered a clean free stake to take the title ahead of Liu who dropped from the first place in the short program after under-rotating a triple Axel and both of her quad Lutzes and training mate Daria Usacheva.
At that time, Valieva was 13 years old, she was too young to enter the 2020 Russian Championships as a senior in December. After she recovered from her injury she included two quadruple toe loop jumps in her free skate.
After the competition she was selected for the Russian Team for the 2020 world junior championships along with teammates Usacheva, Khromykh, Silver Medalist Akatieva.
Apart from that, she was placed first in the short program at the 2020 World Junior Championships. Her score of 74.92 points was the second highest short program score over for a junior lady.
She could skate at the 2020 Russian test skates in Moscow. She had executed a quad toe combination in her free skate. She competed at the second stage of the Russian Cup but she could win the Silver medal due to several reasons.
Later Valieva participated in the 2021 Channel One Trophy which was televised team competition organized in lieu of the cancelled European Championships. Selected to the Red Machime team, Valieva could win both short program and free skates, paving the way for her team to win the trophy. She participated in the senior Russian Cup Final and showcased her talents by winning the short program.
Valieva made her international senior debut at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy. She placed third in the short program after falling on her triple Axel Attempt. In free skating she landed three quad jumps, setting a new record score of 174.31 points.
In the free skate she skated a clean program with quads. Valieva set a new world record for the women’s free skate. She went on to raise new world records in the free skate (185. 29) and total score (272.71).
Her score was higher than that of the men’s event winner. On December 24, Valieva placed first in the short program at the 2022 Russian Championships by scoring 193.10 for her free skate.
She had remarked, “I did almost my maximum.” She made her European Championship debut in January in Tallinn. Valieva finished first in the short program with a clean skate and extended her world record score by over three points.
Amazingly, on January 20 she was selected to the Russian Olympic team. Valieva, who was selected as the Russian entry in the women’s segments of the Olympic team event, began the 2022 Winter Olympics with a first place finish in the short program with a clean triple axel.
Not only that, young talented athlete Valieva was chosen for the women’s free skate in the team event. She could win the segment with a program that included two clan quad jumps. Her score was over 30 points. The most amazing fact is that she became the first woman to land a quad jump at the olympic games.
World records
It can be said that Valieva is a born athlete. Obviously she had done the maximum justice for her team within her capabilities. Speaking of her achievements and world records
01. We cannot forget that she became only the second woman to land a quad toe loop at the 2019 JGP France.
02. She is the first woman to surpass 90 in the short program.
03. It is significant to mention that Valieva set the junior record for the highest free skate score and total score at the 2020 junior world championships, breaking all previous records set by Alexandra Trusova.
04. She set the new senior record for the highest valued triple axel when she earned 11.54 points at the 2022 European Championships.
05. She is the European woman to land a triple axel and the first woman to land a quadruple jump at the Olympic Games during the team event held from 4-7 February, 2022.
