BEIJING: Russian teen sensation Kamila Valieva put aside the emotional exhaustion of being at the center of a doping scandal and took the lead in the women’s figure skating competition after the short programme at the Beijing Olympics.

Skating despite a positive drug test, Valieva started her pursuit of a second gold medal with a score of 82.16 points on Tuesday. She faltered on her opening triple axel and then made it through the rest of her programme.

The 15-year-old Valieva tested positive for a banned heart medication from a sample given in December, a result that only emerged last week after she helped Russia win gold in the team event with a historic performance. It included her landing the first quadruple jumps by a woman at the Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Monday that Valieva should be allowed to compete in part because she is a minor, known as a protected person, and is subject to different rules from an adult athlete. But the decision has been roundly criticised, including by others that performed before her on Tuesday.

Valieva is the overwhelming favourite for the gold and Russia is aiming for the first sweep by any nation of the women’s Olympic podium.

Reigning world champion Anna Shcherbakova was second with 80.20 points. Kaori Sakamoto of Japan had a score of 79.84 to prevent a 1-2-3 Russian finish in the short programme. Alexandra Trusova, the other member of the Russian Quad Squad, was fourth with 74.60 points.

Whatever happens on the ice, Valieva will not get a medal ceremony moment in Beijing. Nor will any skater who finishes in the top three with her.

Valieva told Russian state broadcaster Channel One in comments shown Monday night that “these days have been very difficult for me. I’m happy but I’m tired emotionally.”

She broke into tears as she skated off the ice Tuesday night.

The free skate is on Thursday.

Nine gold medals were up for grabs in the Chinese capital on Tuesday.

Corinne Suter won the women’s downhill to confirm Switzerland’s alpine skiing dominance.

Her victory in the high-speed event followedLara Gut-Behrami in the women’s super-G, while Beat Feuz won the men’s downhill at the start of the Games and Marco Odermatt took the men’s giant slalom.

Two-time skiing gold medallist Mikaela Shiffrin, who is yet to win a medal in Beijing, came 18th as she warmed up for the alpine combined event on Thursday.

Defending champion Sofia Goggia of Italy took silver, capping a remarkable return to form after she injured her knee in a crash last month.

There was another Swiss winner earlier in the day in the form of Mathilde Gremaud in women’s freestyle slopestyle.

Gremaud triumphed ahead of Californian-born Chinese sensation Eileen Gu, the face of the Games and gold-medal winner last week. Gu, 18, had to settle for silver.

Her Chinese team-mate Su Yiming, who is 18 later this week, also now has one silver and one gold after he dominated the men’s snowboard Big Air to take the title even before his third and final run.

In a touching moment, Su pointed at his parents when he was standing on the podium.

“I haven’t seen my parents for the past seven months because I went to Europe for training and to many places for competitions,” said Su, a film actor as a child. “This moment is so special for me and also my family.”

Austria’s Anna Gasser won a dramatic snowboard women’s Big Air gold to retain her title.

Germany posted the first podium sweep by any nation in any Olympic bobsled race, led by Francesco Friedrich piloting the winning sled in the two-man event. Johannes Lochner drove the silver-medal sled and Christoph Hafer steered his bobsled to the bronze.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2022