Russian skater tests positive for banned drug: reports

The Russian figure skater who tested positive for a banned drug Wednesday was revealed by Russian media to be 15-year-old Kamila Valieva. 

The International Olympic Committee announced earlier in the day that the medal ceremony for the team figure skating event would be delayed after a positive drug test was discovered among Russia’s team. 

The prohibited drug in Valieva’s system was named as trimetazidine, which is typically used for chest pain and increases blood flow to the heart, ESPN reported. 

The teen skater achieved the first quadruple jumps by a woman in an Olympic competition during the Beijing Games. Russia has historically done exceptionally well in figure skating at the Olympics, and any attempt to punish Valieva or take away the team’s medals would likely cause a massive backlash in the country, the network noted. 

Tatiana Volosozhar, a former Russian pairs skater who won two gold medals at the the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, shared her support for Valieva on social media, using the hashtag “#Iwillneverbelieve,” according to ESPN. 

Sports journalist Ben Steiner tweeted that because Valieva is under 16, she is a “protected person” under the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

“If she is sanctioned, the punishments and repercussions will be less then if she was older than 16,” Steiner said, noting that a legal decision is expected to be made on Thursday.