Peking – On Thursday, American figure skater Nathan Chen mesmerized viewers with five quadruple vaults in his freestyle routine to Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ title. Four of these jumps were different, only the Salchow wobbled a bit. Chen, 22, won easily – and also benefited from the fall of Japanese figure skating king Yuzuru Hanyu. The 2014 and 2018 Olympic champion finished fourth behind his compatriots Yuma Kagiyama and Shoma Uno. “I never thought I would make it this far in my career,” Chen said. His parents emigrated to the United States from China. “It’s like a whirlwind at the moment. That means everything to me.”
In the days before, Kamila Valiyeva mesmerized the figure skating crowd with her quadruple jumps and her charisma. The 15-year-old is celebrated as a child prodigy. However, the award ceremony in the team competition for figure skaters is still pending. A suspicion of doping and an unresolved medal issue cause a stir. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Russian sports officials described reports on Thursday that Valiyeva’s Russian team was involved in the opaque affair as speculation. “It would be inappropriate for us to comment on an ongoing legal process,” said IOC spokesman Mark Adams. He did not give any other reasons for the short-term cancellation of the award ceremony planned for Tuesday.
Associations are reluctant to provide information
The World Figure Skating Union (ISU) also exercised restraint in the face of the legal tug of war. In connection with the recent media reports, the ISU “did not want to disclose any information about possible anti-doping rule violations,” it said in a statement. In the team competition, Russia won ahead of the USA and Japan.
Russian officials have said they have not received any official information on the matter. European Champion Valiewa had contributed significantly to the Olympic victory with successes in the short program and in the freestyle. The team also included Mark Kondratyuk, pairs skaters Anastasia Mishina/Alexander Gallimov and ice dancers Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapow – who also won the titles at the European Championships.
In Beijing, the powerful jumper Valiewa is the favorite for the gold medal in the individual competition on February 17th. She was the first woman to jump two quadruple jumps at the Olympics – and stood both. “Kamila has not been suspended from participating in the Games,” said Olga Ermolina, spokeswoman for the Russian Figure Skating Federation, according to a breaking report from the TASS news agency. Underage athletes under the age of 16 are considered “protected persons” under World Anti-Doping Agency rules. Their names may not be made public in connection with a violation.
It is said to be the heart drug trimetazidine
Russia’s athletes are only allowed to compete at the Winter Games as a Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team without anthem and flag. Because of the manipulation of doping data, the country is formally excluded from the Olympic Games until the end of the year. A fall in Beijing could jeopardize the country’s full resumption and lifting of the ban.
According to media reports, the alleged positive doping result in figure skating was determined long before the Winter Games. The heart drug trimetazidine, which helps to prevent angina attacks, was discovered during sample analysis. The drug protects the heart from a reduced supply of blood. It became known through the doping case of the Chinese swimming Olympic champion Sun Yang. At the games four years ago, the Russian bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeyeva tested positive for the drug.
According to IOC spokesman Adams, it is unclear whether the medal award can be decided before the individual competition or the conclusion of the Winter Games on February 20th. He only assured: The departments involved work very quickly.