DSome of the journalists had gone to their seats more than eight hours before Kamila Valiyeva’s performance. They had seen the 15-year-old Russian fall twice during the afternoon’s last practice session. At 9:52 p.m., the performance everyone had been waiting for, more reporters from around the world than Chinese spectators sat at Beijing’s Capital Indoor Stadium. stage clear. Kamila Valiewa, accompanied to the gang by a positive doping test, the judgment of the sports arbitration court CAS, which paved the way for her, trainer Eteri Tutberidze, her entourage, including the team doctor Filipp Schwezkij, who was once banned for doping.
Applause, the cameras clicking, the answer to the question of whether Valiyeva’s nerves are holding up: yes. Just like that. The triple Axel at the beginning of her program goes wrong, she stumbles on landing. After that it gets better. Valieva leaves the ice with a sob, the constant pressure on her face. 82.16 points. She has not been rated worse this season. It’s still enough for leadership. That is not undisputed. Anyone who was upset about the fact that Valiyewa was allowed to start despite the trimetazidine test is now upset about the significantly higher rating compared to the Japanese Higuchi Wakaba, who ran half an hour ahead of her. Valiyeva crosses the mixed zone without stopping. She skips the press conference.