Russian Figure Skater Kamila Valieva Tests Positive for Trimetazidine, Same Drug Involved in Sun Yang, Madisyn Cox Bans
This week at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the medal ceremony for the figure skating team event has been delayed numerous times after it was revealed Russian skater Kamila Valieva had tested positive for trimetazidine, a substance that increases blood flow to the heart and is banned as a possible performance-enhancing substance. Valieva’s positive test was recorded more than a month ago, but it did not reveal the presence of a banned substance until after the team event.
The word “trimetazidine” should sound familiar to swimming fans. Chinese distance swimmer Sun Yang tested positive for trimetazidine in 2014, but he was only suspended from competition for three months. Sun ended up not missing any time as the ban was announced after the fact with his competition results nullified. China’s anti-doping agency came under fire for issuing such a short suspension. Sun would continue competing internationally for several more years, but he was later banned again from the sport for smashing a drug-testing sample with a hammer.
Four years later, American IMer Madisyn Cox was given a two-year suspension by FINA for a positive trimetazidine test, despite the fact that a FINA panel ruled that Cox “did not act with intention.” Cox missed the all-important U.S. National Championships in the summer of 2018, but she later proved that her positive test had been caused by a tainted multivitamin, so her suspension was reduced to six months. However, Cox had already missed out on the qualifying meet for all of 2019’s major championships. She returned to competition and later finished third in the 200 IM at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, missing out on a spot in the Tokyo Olympics by just two hundredths.
It’s currently unclear how the ongoing situation regarding Valieva will be resolved. The Russian anti-doping agency provisionally suspended Valieva Tuesday, but then the suspension was overturned on appeal the following day. Now, Valieva’s status is in limbo. The Court of Arbitration for Sport will meet Sunday in Beijing to determine whether Valieva will be suspended. A decision is expected Monday, just in time for the start of the women’s figure skating event Tuesday. As of Sunday, Valieva was listed on the official start list for the event. The 15-year-old is the heavy favorite to win gold in the event, and she is the first female figure skater to ever land a quadruple jump in competition.
The CAS hearing will also determine whether the Russian Olympic Committee team is allowed to keep its team competition gold medal. The silver-medal winning American team would win gold if the Russians were disqualified.
Read more on the Valieva situation from the New York Times and Associated Press.