ST. PETERSBURG, November 13, Dmitry Edigarev. The hearings at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of a positive doping test influenced the performance of figure skater Kamila Valieva at the fourth stage of the Russian Grand Prix in Kazan, said Honored Coach of Russia Alexander Zhulin.
On Sunday, Valieva took fourth place at the Russian Grand Prix stage in Kazan. She skated her free program with errors, receiving two penalties — for falling from a quadruple sheepskin coat and an error on the choreography. In addition, the judges nullified one of the two sequences for the skater, since the rules prohibit doing more than one similar element in a free program.
“»It is clear that Kamila Valieva has not yet gotten into shape. She performed well in the short program, but it was a little difficult for her in the free program. I think that she will be fine for the next stage of the Grand Prix and will win it. Of course, the hearings in CAS probably influenced her. This whole situation has been affecting her for two years now, because she is being bullied in full. And in this state it is terribly difficult to keep in shape. As for mistakes, Kamila has very experienced trainers, so you can’t talk about someone else’s blame, it’s just that the rental could have been better,” said Zhulin.
Valieva passed a positive doping test on December 25, 2021, on the day of the free program of the Russian Championship. This became known on February 8, 2022 — the day after the end of the team tournament of the Olympics, where the Russian team with Valieva won.
After an investigation, the disciplinary anti-doping committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) determined the absence of guilt or negligence and did not impose any punishment on the athlete, but annulled her result at the Russian Championship. The World Anti-Doping Agency has referred Valieva's case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which is due to make a decision in January 2024.