Valieva of Russia intends to return to competition after completing a doping ban

Kamila Valieva, a Russian figure skater, intends to return to competition after serving out her four-year sentence for failing a drug test.

The 18-year-old Valieva told Russian news media that she hopes to participate once again because she will still be able to do so when her ban expires in 2025.

“Of course, this is on my mind. My final participation in the Russian championship wasn’t my greatest, but it’s not the end. Additionally, she was cited as adding, “It is probably foolish to give up on a sports career at my age.”

Being “gradually coming into form” was Valieva’s statement.

“I’m initially attempting to regain confidence in the double Axel and triple toe loop I had last season. I will introduce more challenging material with more assurance because I won’t be competing for almost a year and a half.”

Valieva was given a four-year ban earlier this year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which was retroactive to when she tested positive for the illegal drug trimetazidine, which stops angina attacks, during the Russian national championships in December 2021.

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) lost the gold medal in the team event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games almost two years after the tournament as a result of that punishment.

According to Valieva’s team, the positive test may have resulted from a mistake with her grandfather’s cardiac medicine. As politically driven, the Kremlin rejected the decision.