Russian coach produces teen skating stars with short careers

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The coach behind Russia's figure skating dynasty rarely speaks to the media, enhancing her mystique as a guru who produces a line of teenage stars who can land jumps no other women even attempt.

A doping furor around her star pupil has forced Eteri Tutberidze into the spotlight at the Beijing Olympics. She broke her silence on the case against Kamila Valieva on Saturday, telling Russian TV: "We are absolutely sure that Kamila is innocent and clean."

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Tutberidze-trained skaters have dominated competition for eight years, but critics have raised concerns about their short careers - many retire as teenagers - and propensity to suffer serious injuries.

The news that 15-year-old Valieva tested positive for a banned heart medication before the Olympics puts Russia's gold medal in the team event in jeopardy and could kick her out of the women's competition next week.

The positive drug test has been the top story out of the Olympics for days, pitting Russia against world sporting agencies again. Tutberidze and Valieva shared an emotional hug Saturday near the end of practice.

Valieva made her senior debut just five months ago, but she's already acclaimed as a generational talent. She combines spectacular jumping power — landing the first quadruple jump by a woman in Olympic history on Monday — with elegant skills to shatter world-record scores.

When an athlete under 16 — a "protected person" in Olympic jargon — tests positive, the rules say their entourage must be investigated. That means the Russian anti-doping agency is launching an examination of Tutberidze's world-beating, secretive training