Today at the Winter Olympics: Kamila Valieva cleared to compete but with caveat
No medals will be awarded if the 15-year-old figure skater finishes in the top three due to an ongoing investigation into her failed drug test.
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Your support makes all the difference.Figure skater Kamila Valieva dominated the headlines in Beijing once again as it emerged that no medals will be awarded in the women’s singles event if she makes the top three until her failed drug test has been fully investigated.
The 15-year-old’s provisional suspension was lifted by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has opted not to re-impose it, citing “exceptional circumstances” and fears she could suffer “irreparable harm” as a result.
Valieva, favourite to claim the title, will now be free to compete in the short program at the Capital Indoor Arena on Tuesday, although with the International Olympic Committee having announced that medals will not be presented until a full inquiry into her doping case has been completed.
The teenager returned a positive result for the banned heart medication trimetazidine following a test at the Russian National Championships on Christmas Day.
Valieva, who competed in the short and free programs of the mixed team competition last week, became the first female skater to land quad jumps at the Olympics in the latter.
Star of the day
Freestyle skier Xu Mengtao became the first Chinese woman to claim Olympic gold in the aerials.
Xu, who took silver in Sochi in 2014 and repeated the feat in the mixed team event in Beijing, finally reached the top of the podium in the individual event.
She landed a back-full-full-full to eclipse defending champion Hanna Huskova and then looked on anxiously as Ashley Caldwell, who won mixed team gold with the USA, failed to overhaul her.
Fail of the day
Katie Ormerod’s hopes of making up for her agony from four years ago were dashed on a disappointing Olympic debut.
The Briton’s dreams of claiming a medal at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang were shattered when she suffered a career-threatening injury in training just hours before she was due to compete.
Ormerod arrived in Beijing determined to make amends, but she fell twice in three jumps in Big Air qualification on Monday to finish 25th after a 19th-placed finish in slopestyle on Saturday.
Picture of the day
Social media moment
What’s on tomorrow
Kamila Valieva will take part in the women’s short program after being controversially allowed to compete despite a doping offence (1000 UK).
Seventeen-year-old Kirsty Muir is back on the slopes as she bids for a medal in the women’s ski slopestyle final along with team-mate Katie Summerhayes (0130 UK).
Brad Hall’s two-man bobsleigh hopes hang by a thread after a poor start (1215 UK), while Bruce Mouat’s curling team could book a semi-final slot if they beat unbeaten leaders Sweden (1205 UK).
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