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History, as we know, develops in a spiral — and this is clearly visible in everything that happened to the winner of the 2022 Olympic team tournament Kamila Valieva last weekend at the Russian Grand Prix stage in Kazan. The Sport correspondent compares the events of almost two years ago and the last few days.
Two days before the start of the personal tournament of the Beijing Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) considered the question of whether Valieva should be allowed to start with a positive doping test — and ultimately decided it conditionally positively. Conditionally — because if Kamila is eventually given a period of disqualification that will cover the dates of the Games, the result of the personal tournament will be canceled. What to do with the team tournament, where she and the Russian team won gold, is a separate topic that, apparently, CAS will also have to deal with.
Two days before the start of the Kazan Grand Prix stage, the Court of Arbitration for Sport also considered Kamila’s case. It was the second part of the hearing, extended after three days of hearings in September. As in Beijing, Valieva answered the referees’ questions via video link. True, they could not prohibit her from starting in Kazan — CAS initially warned that a verdict in the case would not be immediately rendered. But the situation when, in parallel with training, you have on your agenda communication with lawyers, legal terms in your head and difficult answers to even more difficult questions asked by arbitrators, clearly does not contribute to the optimal mood for the start.
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In the individual tournament of the Olympic Games, Valieva won the short program. Journalists then waited impatiently to see if the skater would stop in the mixed zone — it was quite natural that they had something to ask her about. Kamila did not answer questions. It is clear that they would somehow relate to the doping case, the whole world was waiting for comments on this topic, but Valieva clearly had nothing to say at that moment.
The most important thing to always remember is that journalists are only a transmission link. Not only those fifteen reporters who stood in a cramped nook under the stands of the Kazan Sports Palace wanted to know the truth, but also many thousands of fans of the athlete, who were shocked by the facts cited by the coach. But Olga Ermolina, the press attache of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR), who entered the mixed zone with Valieva, immediately ordered not to ask questions on the CAS topic. “The answer will be “know,” she said.
However, Valieva did not answer other questions very willingly. Not exactly through gritted teeth, but at least without desire. She didn’t look at all happy after the seemingly successful performance, but very tired. One question, in which there was an extremely weakly veiled attempt to touch on a “forbidden” topic — about the difficulties of preparing for the tournament against the backdrop of the need to be distracted by other matters — Valieva was nevertheless asked. Camila thought for a second, but still said in response: “Next question.”
But after almost two years, Valieva already has something to say. But during all this time, if the athlete shared anything with those around her, it was only that the Beijing story forced her to grow up very early. By the way, this can be seen without words: Kamila talks about serious topics in an interesting and competent way. It’s not for nothing that she is invited to various events and shows where she has to perform in front of the public. However, the questions that interest everyone without exception are not asked there to the figure skater.
Valieva tries not to appear in front of journalists. And the press is not allowed near her again. For example, in Kazan, media representatives were even driven away from the press conference hall where the tournament draw was to take place — although, for example, at the previous stages of the Russian Grand Prix in Omsk or Krasnoyarsk, no one bothered to stand nearby and wait, for example, for familiar athletes or coaches to say hello and exchange a few words. Here they simply staged some kind of theater of the absurd and persistently escorted the journalists out into the street, although no one was going to pull Valieva before the start. All that mattered was whether she came to the tournament or not.
As a result, it all ended the same at both the Olympics and the Kazan stage of the Russian Grand Prix — fourth place. And with the same feeling — at some point Kamila “abandoned” the free program. Last Sunday, this was especially clearly felt in the step sequence, which the skater performed without any attempt at all to follow the choreographic plan. I just slowly wrote out the necessary drawings with my skate. And the reason was probably the same — tiredness from everything. If the second sequence, prohibited by the rules, was a puncture of the coaching staff, then the shaky exits from the jumps and the ridiculous fall on the ice instead of a spectacular ride clearly became evidence of Kamila’s complete lack of internal energy.
But what can be said for sure — Valieva’s fire as athletes did not go out. Realizing that the quadruple jump had not been restored and the chances of successful execution were close to zero, Kamila went for it in Kazan. And this is her whole essence. Yes, she fell, she is broken, but not broken. Hard times will pass, one way or another. Court, the difficulties of an organism growing up are not forever. Valieva returned after Beijing and will return now. Everyone who knows her agrees on one thing — she is a unique athlete with an incredible character. And people like that don’t just give up.
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