The women's singles competition in
figure skating
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympi ...
at the
2022 Winter Olympics
The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...
was held on 15 February (short program) and 17 February (free skating), at the
Capital Indoor Stadium
The Capital Indoor Stadium () is an indoor arena in 56 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, China that was built in 1968. It hosted matches between national table tennis teams of China and the United States in 1971; these matches were part of the ...
in
Haidian District
Haidian () is a northwest urban district of Beijing, bordering Xicheng, Beijing, Xicheng and Fengtai, Beijing, Fengtai.
It is in area, making it the second-largest district in urban Beijing area (after Chaoyang, Beijing, Chaoyang), and is home ...
of
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
.
Anna Shcherbakova
Anna Stanislavovna Shcherbakova (Russian language, Russian: Анна Станиславовна Щербакова, born 28 March 2004) is a Russian figure skater. She is the reigning Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Olympic champi ...
, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, won the event, and her teammate,
Alexandra Trusova
Alexandra "Sasha" Vyacheslavovna Ignatova (née Trusova; rus, Александра Вячеславовна Игнатова née Трусова, , ɐlʲɪˈksandrə ˈtrusəvə; born 23 June 2004) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2022 O ...
, the silver medal.
Kaori Sakamoto
is a Japanese figure skater. She is the Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics, 2022 Olympic bronze medalist, a Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Team event, 2022 Olympic team event silver medalist, a three-time World Figure Ska ...
of Japan won bronze. For all, it was their first individual Olympic medals; Sakamoto had earlier won a medal in the team event.
Event summary
All three medalists from the 2018 Olympics either retired from the competition (
Evgenia Medvedeva
Evgenia Armanovna Medvedeva (alt. spelling: Yevgenia Medvedeva; rus, Евгения Армановна Медведева, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪjə mʲɪˈdvʲedʲɪvə; born 19 November 1999), is a retired competitive Russian figure skater. She ...
,
Kaetlyn Osmond
Kaetlyn Osmond (born December 5, 1995) is a retired competitive Canadian Figure skating, figure skater who competed in singles skating, ladies' singles. A three-time Canadian Figure Skating Championships, Canadian national champion (2013, 2014, ...
) or had taken a prolonged break from the sport without an official retirement announcement (
Alina Zagitova
Alina Ilnazovna Zagitova ( rus, Алина Ильназовна Загитова, , ɐˈlʲinə zɐˈɡʲitəvə; born 18 May 2002) is a Russian former competitive Figure skating, figure skater. She is the Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Oly ...
). The
2021–22 season was dominated by Russian skaters, who held the six highest scores prior to the Olympics. Of those six,
Kamila Valieva
Kamila Valeryevna Valieva ( ; born 26 April 2006) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2021 Rostelecom Cup champion, the 2021 Skate Canada champion, the 2020 Junior World champion, the 2019-20 Junior Grand Prix Final champion and the 2021 ...
,
Anna Shcherbakova
Anna Stanislavovna Shcherbakova (Russian language, Russian: Анна Станиславовна Щербакова, born 28 March 2004) is a Russian figure skater. She is the reigning Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Olympic champi ...
, and
Alexandra Trusova
Alexandra "Sasha" Vyacheslavovna Ignatova (née Trusova; rus, Александра Вячеславовна Игнатова née Трусова, , ɐlʲɪˈksandrə ˈtrusəvə; born 23 June 2004) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2022 O ...
were selected for the Olympics.
Kaori Sakamoto
is a Japanese figure skater. She is the Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics, 2022 Olympic bronze medalist, a Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Team event, 2022 Olympic team event silver medalist, a three-time World Figure Ska ...
ranking seventh was the highest non-Russian skater on the list. Valieva dominated the Olympic season, winning every competition she entered and with her lowest international score still over 10 points higher than that of any of her competitors. Her undefeated season coupled with her status as the world record holder in all three segments, saw her deemed the heavy favorite to win the Olympics prior to her becoming subject to a doping investigation. With Shcherbakova the
2021 World champion and Trusova the 2021 World bronze medalist, predictions considered a sweep by the ROC the most likely scenario.
Shcherbakova won the short program, with Sakamoto second and Trusova third; Valieva originally won but was disqualified retroactively by the
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; , TAS) is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its courts are located in New York City, Sy ...
in 2024 for a doping violation. Trusova won the free skate and became the first woman to land five quadruple jumps in the same program. Valieva and Shcherbakova were the only other competitors to attempt quadruple jumps, and Shcherbakova and Trusova were the first women to land a quad in the Olympics; Valieva held that distinction before her disqualification, as she had done some quads during the team event free skate one week earlier. Out of her five quads, Trusova landed only two cleanly, with her Quad Flip receiving an edge call. Shcherbakova landed two quadruple jumps, both cleanly. Valieva, skating last, fell twice, made a number of other mistakes, and dropped to fourth place overall; her subsequent disqualification moved all competitors below her up a place.
Doping controversy
On 8 February, a day after the
ROC victory in the team event, a positive test result for
trimetazidine
Trimetazidine (IUPAC: 1-(2,3,4-trimethoxybenzyl)piperazine) is a drug sold under many brand names for angina pectoris (chest pain associated with impaired blood flow to the heart). Trimetazidine is described as the first cytoprotective anti-i ...
from the
Russian Championships in December for
Kamila Valieva
Kamila Valeryevna Valieva ( ; born 26 April 2006) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2021 Rostelecom Cup champion, the 2021 Skate Canada champion, the 2020 Junior World champion, the 2019-20 Junior Grand Prix Final champion and the 2021 ...
of the ROC was released by a Swedish lab, and her participation at the Olympics became subject to a doping investigation. The
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; , TAS) is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its courts are located in New York City, Sy ...
ruled on 14 February that she would not be provisionally suspended and would be allowed to compete in the individual event as planned, still subject to further and ongoing investigation. The decision from the court was made on three grounds: (1) Due to her age, she is a "Protected Person" as per WADA Code, subject to different rules than adult athletes; (2) Athlete did not test positive during the Olympic Games in Beijing; (3) "There were serious issues of untimely notification of the results, ... which impinged upon the Athlete's ability to establish certain legal requirements for her benefit". In its decision, the CAS stated that preventing "the Athlete from competing at the Olympic Games would cause her irreparable harm in these circumstances". As a result, the
IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based in L ...
decided that, should Valieva win a medal, there would be no flower ceremony or medal ceremony held until the investigation into her doping case is over and there is a concrete decision whether or not to strip her of her medals. To allow for the possibility that her results might be disqualified, the IOC asked the ISU to expand the qualifying field for the free skating by one to 25, contingent upon Valieva being one of the top 24 skaters after the short program.
On 15 February, after the short program, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported that Valieva's sample tested positive for an additional two substances,
hypoxen
Sodium polydihydroxyphenylene thiosulfonate (гипоксен, Hypoxen) is under laboratory studies in Russia as a potential regulator of cell metabolism. It is purported to affect mitochondrial function, though this has not been proven in any ...
and
L-Carnitine
Carnitine is a quaternary ammonium compound involved in metabolism in most mammals, plants, and some bacteria. In support of energy metabolism, carnitine transports long-chain fatty acids from the cytosol into mitochondria to be oxidized for fre ...
, which are not on the banned list, in addition to trimetazidine. WADA's filing in Valieva's hearing indicated that her acknowledgement of taking the two permitted substances undercut her testimony that the banned substance was ingested by error. By the end of the Beijing Olympics, a total five athletes were reported for doping violations.
In mid-November, WADA requested that CAS take up the review of the Valieva case with an eye towards a 4-year suspension of Valieva, which would exclude her from competition at the next Winter Olympics, and to rescind her first place performance in the team event at the previous Beijing Olympics because, "the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) did not meet a WADA-imposed Nov. 4 deadline to deliver a verdict on Valieva's case."
Reactions
The
CAS decision to allow Valieva to compete despite her positive test drew backlash across the sporting community and in the media, with some questioning as to whether Russia had been adequately punished for their statewide doping program. While the
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for the United States. It was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado ...
and the
Canadian Olympic Committee
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; ), also known as Team Canada, is a private nonprofit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee. It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization.
History
Cana ...
blasted the decision as a "disappointment" and "extremely unfortunate", the
Russian Olympic Committee
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is the National Olympic Committee representing Russia. Its current president during IOC suspension is Mikhail Degtyarev. The membership of ROC is currently suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC ...
vowed to take "comprehensive measures" to "keep the honestly won Olympic gold medal
n the team event. Condemnation of the CAS decision also came from former and current figure skaters alike on social media, although several of Valieva's teammates defended her. Several American skaters noted parallels with the case of U.S. pairs skater
Jessica Calalang
Jessica Noelle Calalang (born February 24, 1995) is an American pair skater. With her current partner Brian Johnson (figure skater), Brian Johnson, she is a three-time U.S. Figure Skating Championships, U.S. national silver medalist (2020–22) an ...
, who served an eight-month suspension from competition while under investigation for a positive doping test; Calalang was later absolved of any violations after the substance was concluded to be a metabolite of ingredients in her makeup, but she and her partner missed several key competitions during her suspension, including the
2021 World Figure Skating Championships
The 2021 World Figure Skating Championships were held from March 22 to 28, 2021, at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. Sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), the World Championships are considered the most prestigious event i ...
. Some commenting on the situation suggested that blame should not rest with the 15-year-old Valieva, but rather with the Russian system and the coaches and doctors around her. Due to Valieva being a minor, both the
World Anti-Doping Agency
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; , AMA) is an international organization co-founded by the governments of over 140 nations along with the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against d ...
and the
Russian Anti-Doping Agency
The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA; ), established in January 2008, is the Russian National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO), affiliated with (but suspended from, since 2015) the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
History
It was established un ...
have launched investigations into her entourage, including coach
Eteri Tutberidze
Eteri Georgievna Tutberidze (Georgian language, Georgian: ეთერი გიორგის ასული თუთბერიძე; ; born 24 February 1974) is a Georgian-Russian figure skating coach who works mainly with female single s ...
and Russian team doctor Filipp Shvetsky. The Russian government and community remained steadfast in their support for Valieva; the Kremlin first referred to the situation as a "misunderstanding", and later issued the following statement: "We boundlessly and fully support Kamila Valieva and call on everyone to support her. And we say to Kamila: don't hide your face. You are a Russian — perform and defeat everybody!"
On 15 February, after the short program, competitors asked about Valieva in the mixed zone largely tried to distance themselves from the situation, indicating that they preferred to focus on their own performances. A few athletes made general references about supporting "clean sport" and a "level playing field". Some expressed regret that no medal ceremony for the team event, and potentially the individual event, would be held; the individual event medal ceremony was eventually held as planned after Valieva placed outside the top three. Valieva herself did not speak with reporters in the mixed zone or attend the press conference for the top three after the short program, where fellow top finishers
Anna Shcherbakova
Anna Stanislavovna Shcherbakova (Russian language, Russian: Анна Станиславовна Щербакова, born 28 March 2004) is a Russian figure skater. She is the reigning Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Olympic champi ...
and
Kaori Sakamoto
is a Japanese figure skater. She is the Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics, 2022 Olympic bronze medalist, a Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Team event, 2022 Olympic team event silver medalist, a three-time World Figure Ska ...
also declined to comment. IOC spokesman Mark Adams noted that press conferences are not mandatory at the Olympics, and that if Valieva were to medal, they did not expect her to attend that press conference either. Valieva ultimately finished off the podium in fourth; she did not stop in the mixed zone after the free skating.
In a press conference the day after the free skating, IOC president
Thomas Bach
Thomas Bach (born 29 December 1953) is a German lawyer, former foil fencer, and Olympic gold medalist. He has served as the ninth president of the International Olympic Committee since 2013, the first ever Olympic champion to be elected to tha ...
said he was "very, very disturbed" by the "chilling atmosphere" surrounding Valieva as coach Eteri Tutberidze berated her following a mistake-filled performance that dropped her off the podium. Bach also insinuated that her coaches likely played a role in her positive test, saying that "doping is very rarely done alone with the athletes," and that "the ones who have administered this drug in her body, these are the ones who are guilty." The Kremlin responded that "harshness of a coach in high-level sport is key for their athletes to achieve victories" and that Tutberidze's athletes were seeing strong results. Tutberidze herself claimed to be "at a loss from the assessment of our work by the esteemed Mr Bach" in a comment on an
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
post by fellow ROC coach
Alexander Zhulin
Alexander (Sasha) Viacheslavovich Zhulin (; born 20 July 1963) is a Russian ice dancing coach and former competitor. With Maya Usova, he is a two-time Olympic medalist ( 1994 silver, 1992 bronze), the 1993 World champion, and the 1993 Europ ...
. Several Western media outlets pointed to the extreme emotional reactions of the three ROC skaters – Shcherbakova (gold) stated that she felt empty inside, Trusova (silver) was seen shouting that she "hated the sport" and pledged to never skate again, and Valieva (fourth) broke down sobbing – as further evidence of the extreme pressure they were all under to deliver results, as well as the abuse they were subjected to from their team.
By 9 March 2022,
Travis Tygart
Travis Thompson Tygart (born 1971) is an American lawyer and CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). He is best known for his role in exposing Lance Armstrong's massive doping operation.
Life and career
A native of Jacksonville, ...
of the
USADA
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti-doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...
reported that Valieva had not requested that her "B" sample be tested, apparently accepting the results of initial testing and relying on her explanation that the banned substance TMZ belonged to her grandfather and only accidentally contaminated or became mixed into her own use of allowed nutrients and supplements. Tygart further stated that as a minor Valieva could still be either fully exculpated or given a warning concerning her testing positive depending on the extent of findings in the on-going
RUSADA
The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA; ), established in January 2008, is the Russian National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO), affiliated with (but suspended from, since 2015) the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
History
It was established un ...
investigation of doping. According to Tygart, an adverse finding against her as a first offense could still be assessed as a two year suspension, which is half of the suspension time which could be assessed for adults.
["Interview with Travis Tygart (USADA, Kamila Valieva Doping, Russian Doping)". The Skating Lesson. March 7, 2022]
/ref>
Records
Prior to the competition, the existing ISU Judging System#Best scores, ISU best scores were:
No new best scores were set during this competition.
Qualification
Schedule
Results
Short program
The short program was held on 15 February.
Free skating
The free skating was held on 17 February.
Overall
The skaters were ranked according to their overall score.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics - Women's singles
Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Women's events at the 2022 Winter Olympics