Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: Kamila Valieva Fourth In Skating As Doping Scandal Takes Toll

Kamila Valieva, the teenager at the centre of a doping scandal that has shaken the Beijing Olympics, finished fourth in the women's figure skating final on Thursday after an error-strewn performance handed Russian teammate Anna Shcherbakova gold. Shcherbakova scored 255.95 overall to seal the title, while Valieva, who was allowed to compete despite failing a doping test before the Games, fell several times and slipped out of the medal positions in Beijing. It was a major upset for 15-year-old Valieva, who looked completely broken at the end of her programme.

Another Russian, Alexandra Trusova, took silver, and Japan's Kaori Sakamoto won bronze.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had said if Valieva placed in the top three, no medals would be awarded until "due process" had been followed to decide if she had infringed the World Anti-Doping Code.

But given the results, the award ceremony went ahead and the skaters will receive their medals on Friday.

Shcherbakova, 17, said: "My goal was to come off the ice with the full understanding that I have done my maximum.

"Today that's how it was. I left the ice unbelievably happy."

Shcherbakova, who is also the reigning world champion, said she would speak to Valieva later in private.

"I saw from her first jump how difficult it was, what a burden it was for her," she said. "It's more than difficult to go on to the end after a couple of things like that happen."

Valieva had been the clear favourite going into the Games, but it emerged she had tested positive in December for trimetazidine, a heart medication that is banned for athletes because it can help increase endurance.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday ruled that she could carry on competing in the