Russian figure skater fails drug test, Canada could get on Olympic podium: report

A Russian figure skater has reportedly failed a drug test at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Kamila Valieva, a 15-year-old sensation that made headlines for becoming the first woman ever to land the quadruple jump at the Olympic Games, failed a drug test according to Russian news outlet RBC.

RBC adds that the drug in question is Trimetazidine, a banned heart medication, in “minimal proportions.”

Duncan Mackay of insidethegames reports that the drug test was taken before Valieva arrived in Beijing.

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) took gold in the team figure skating event, with Canada finishing fourth. If ROC is stripped of their gold medal win, USA would move from silver to gold, and Japan from bronze to silver. Canada finished fourth, meaning that a Russian disqualification would put them on the podium in the bronze medal position.

Valieva played a key role in the gold medal win for ROC, finishing first in the women’s singles standings in both the short program and the free skate.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has postponed the team figure skating medal ceremony twice, citing a “legal issue.”

“We have athletes that have won medals involved,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.

Russia is competing under the ROC banner because of a state-run doping program that provided athletes with performance-enhancing substances.