‘Escalofriante’ El trato a Kamila Valieva nos recuerda historia de Simone Biles

Tristemente Valieva se quebró, en la final individual las imperfecciones y los errores la hicieron caer sobre el hielo

La historia olímpica de Kamila Valieva tocó el cielo y el infierno en sus primeros Juegos Olímpicos de la patinadora artística rusa de 15 años de edad.

El cielo para la atleta vino cuando en días previos realizó lo nunca antes visto, un salto cuádruple para ayudar a su equipo a conseguir el metal dorado de la competencia.

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La hazaña le valió ser la primera patinadora en conseguir el giro en unos Juegos Olímpicos, pero el éxito siempre atrae las miradas desconfiadas y se reveló que Valieva no pasó un control antidoping en diciembre.

Dio positivo a trimetazidina, un medicamento utilizado en la prevención de ataques de angina, pero incluido en la lista de sustancias prohibidas por mejorar la capacidad física del atleta.

© Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

A Kamila Valieva, una niña de escasos 15 años de edad se le vino la presión mediática encima, tras la polémica le permitieron competir y sí, esos medios, principalmente estadounidenses que en los Juegos Olímpicos de verano pedían respeto a la salud mental de su estrella caída, Simone Biles, hoy atacaron y duro a la representante del comité olímpico de Rusia.

Tristemente Valieva se quebró, en la final individual las imperfecciones y los errores la hicieron caer sobre el hielo, saberse con los ojos del mundo encima no le permitió disfrutar del deporte que tanto ama. Su cuerpo estaba en el hielo, su cabeza en otra parte.

© Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

La mala actuación la hizo terminar en cuarto sitio, fuera de las medallas, para hacer más dolorosa la derrota. Una adolescente Kamila rompió en llanto y lejos de ser consolada por su entrenadora el trato fue frío, ‘Escalofriante’ como lo indico el presidente del COI, Thomas Bach.

Nuevamente elevamos al atleta a la categoría de super héroe, lo ponemos en medio de un conflicto político del que el deporte es completamente ajeno. Los sacamos de contexto y no les permitimos disfrutar lo que les apasiona.

© Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

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Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir rightfully blame ‘the adults around’ Kamila Valieva after free skate disaster

They once again hit it on the head.

The Kamila Valieva controversy at the Beijing Olympics came to an awful, devastating end on Thursday, with the Russian figure finishing fourth in the women’s figure skating event after a disastrous free skate.

As I wrote after the competition, the 15-year-old deserves sympathy, not scorn, given how the adults in the room — from the Court of Arbitration for Sport to the IOC to the Russian delegation — completely mishandled the fallout from the positive drug test that should have taken her out of the event.

And that’s exactly how NBC’s Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir covered Valieva. Days after summing up her short program with honest commentary, they were both sympathetic to Valieva and blamed the adults around her.

Watch below, along with some reaction from around Twitter:

Kamila Valieva deserves sympathy, not scorn after a disastrous end to her Olympics

The adults in the room failed.

The shocking end to what was already a disgrace in women’s figure skating at the Beijing Olympics was not justice taking place, or a tainted athlete getting what she deserved.

Kamila Valieva, in the lead after the short program on Tuesday, was the last skater to take the ice. She’s been a favorite for gold for months now, but her Olympics has been marred by scandal.

She recorded a positive drug test that didn’t lead to her being removed from the competition, and became the center of attention in her sport for all the wrong reasons.

Yet, until Tuesday, she had performed with remarkable poise and grace.

Then it fell apart.  Her free skate was a disaster.

Valieva finished fourth, out of the medals. That allowed the IOC to conduct a medal ceremony; it wouldn’t, thanks to the sort of contorted thinking that created this mess, have been held had Valieva earned a spot on the podium.

Before you declare that karma won out, or that Valieva deserved to finish without a medal — before you echo any of the toxic awfulness that we see on social media every hour of every day — here’s a reminder: She’s 15 years old.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Valieva could keep competing because she was under 16, giving her “protected” status that implies she may not — as Time wrote — “have full agency over decisions about medications or other substances she may take.”

The irony of that phrase isn’t lost here. By protecting her status and giving her the green light to compete, the adults who should have pulled her right away allowed a 15-year-old under a horrifying amount of scrutiny to compete and fail in front of the world.

Another reminder before you hit “send” on that tweet or comment about what Valieva deserves — the story is still unraveling. How did she get trimetazidine? Was it really that she accidentally took her grandfather’s heart medicine, as her lawyers claimed?

Or was it yet another case of Russia pushing its athletes with no regard for their health or the rules set forth for fair competition? That wouldn’t be new.

In other words, before we pass any judgement and point fingers, let’s hear about what really happened.

This is on the decision-makers who looked past the fact that a teenager was involved here, that the figure skating world would erupt at the idea of an athlete who had tested positive for a banned substance continuing to compete. Can you imagine trying to perform at this level at that age, with that kind of criticism aimed at you?

This is on the CAS and IOC and the Russian delegation — sorry, ROC, the designation given to the athletes from Russia after a substantial doping program came to light in the last decade — that allowed her to skate.

I hope the image of a devastated Valieva is something that brings about some kind of change, that she’s able to leave Beijing and enjoy being a teenager without a cloud of controversy over her head.

That can start with your sympathy, not your scorn.

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Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir perfectly sum up Kamila Valieva controversy with honest commentary

They nailed it.

How do you weigh in on Kamila Valieva, the Russian figure skater who is still allowed to compete in the women’s individual events despite a positive drug test?

The answer for NBC’s Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir — former Olympians themselves — it’s with honesty, especially with the entire figure skating world up in arms about the decision that allowed Valieva to skate for ROC, which also includes the fact that if she wins a gold, silver or bronze, there will be no medal ceremony.

“We are so sorry it’s overshadowing your Olympics,” Weir said on the air to other skaters.

“I don’t know how many times over the past year, I’ve said that she’s the best figure skater I’ve ever seen,” Lipinski added, “and just saying that now not only makes me confused but it makes me angry and disoriented by everything I thought that I knew.”

Here’s the moment and reaction:

Why Kamila Valieva is still allowed to compete in Olympic figure skating after positive drug test

We explain it.

Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have seen controversy involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva after a positive drug test and wondered why she’s able to continue competing at the 2022 Olympics. We’re here to help.

That pretty much sums it up, right? Valieva — competing as part of the “ROC” — took the ice on Tuesday to compete in women’s figure skating, despite the fact that she failed a drug test before the Olympics in Beijing.

If you’re wondering what’s up with that, we have some answers:

At 15 years old, figure skater Kamila Valieva made history with first, incredible quad … and then a second one

History was made!!

All the buzz in Beijing is about Kamila Valieva, and rightfully so.

The Russian figure skater — remember, she’s competing under the ROC team name — is just 15 years old. But she’s already making figure skating history in Beijing at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

She just performed some incredible routines as ROC went on its way to win gold in the team event on Monday, with the United States taking silver and Japan grabbing a bronze.

But as for that history? She hit the first quadruple jump by a woman at an Olympic competition … and then she did it A SECOND TIME at the free skate.

Check this out: