Winter Olympics: 15-year-old Kamila Valieva's failed drug test confirmed

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By Carina Murphy

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It's could be the end of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games for teenage Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.

BBC News has reported that the International Testing Agency (ITA) has now confirmed that the 15-year-old failed a drugs test back in December, which has put her time in the competition in jeopardy.

The teen figure skating sensation hit headlines around the world earlier this week, after becoming the first female in history to land a quadruple jump at the Olympics.

Valieva helped the Russian figure skating team win gold on Monday at the Beijing Winter Games. But it looks like they might not get their medals, as Valieva's test result risks disqualifying their victory.

The ITA has announced that Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine in a sample collected on Christmas Day. The drug - a heart medication that is used to prevent angina attacks - is on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned list because it has been proven to improve physical efficiency.

Her result was reported on February 8, the day after Valieva won the Russian team gold, but before the medal ceremony had taken place.

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Kamila Valieva performs a spiral during the Women's Single Figure Skating Team competition. Credit: UPI / Alamy

Following a provisional suspension, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) gave Valieva the green light to continue competing on February 9. However, several bodies appealed their decision, meaning that Valieva's status in the games is still in limbo - as is the Russian team's gold medal.

As well as The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Skating Union has also called on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) to reinstate Valieva's suspension. The court is set to hear the teenage figure skater's case before her scheduled appearance in the individual event next week.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said that the medals for the team event would not be awarded until the Cas hearing had delivered an outcome.

If the court rules against Valieva it would mean a gold medal for the U.S, who scored second in the event. They would be joined on the podium by Japan and Canada, who finished third and fourth respectively.

Russian athletes are competing in Beijing under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). Following the discovery of Russia's state-sponsored doping program, no athlete may represent the country at the Olympics, Paralympics, or World Championships until December 17, 2022.

Featured Image Credit: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy