“Give Them Their Medals”- US Team’s Struggles Continue Despite Kamila Valieva’s Doping Ban, Fans Appeal for Justice

Kamila Valieva’s case on anti-doping has been a heated topic among the community for years. The 17-year-old Russian figure skater tested positive in December 2021 for taking trimetazidine, a banned substance. The test results kept the youngster from receiving her Olympic gold and further sparked years-long decisions between the governing bodies.

Following her Olympic performance, the 17-year-old had to deal with a suspension notice, a subsequent legal appeal for reinstatement, and further uncertainty about having medals to her name. However, on the 29th of January, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced its conclusion on the case. Thus bringing out the awaiting crowd.

Kamila Valieva receives long-awaited decision

During the Beijing 2022 Olympics, Kamila Valieva became the first woman to land the quadruple toe loop at the games. Further added on by a first-place finish in the short program, the youngster contributed immensely to the Russian team’s gold. However, while the youngster led, the committee postponed the medal ceremony because of the then-ongoing investigation. After years on the case, the CAS on Monday finally declared its decision to place Valieva on a 4-year ban.

The decision further entailed having Kamila Valieva’s competitive results since the day of the investigation be voided. This meant the teams following Valieva on the list in the 2022 Olympics would immediately rise to clinch the top spots.

Also Read: “Everything That Happened Will Not Disappear”: Controversial Russian Olympian Kamila Valieva Finally Opens Up on Olympic Trauma

The USA, Canada, and Japan were the three teams in order on the scoreboard. Now having finalized results, fans gathered to nod to the decision and ask authorities to fetch the medals from their owners.

Fans appeal the medals must find their owners

One of the things that enthusiasts collectively agreed upon was the amount of time the decision yielded. Relieved of the uncertainty, one of the fans wrote, “Glad to see this FINALLY resolved. Unbelievable it took this long!!!”

Agreeing with the outcome, another one of the fans exclaimed, “USA deserves team gold. Give them their medals.”

A post followed further in agreement with the previous, stating “Let’s hope the Olympic Committee acts quickly and awards the medals to the rightful winners.”

As Team USA received its support, fans also chimed in to congratulate Team Canada and Japan. “Also congratulations to Team Japan and Team Canada… It’s about time!”

However, while fans expressed their satisfaction over Team USA receiving their medals, one of them ensured to sympathize with Kamila Valieva and the situation she had to endure. “I’m sorry for the athlete, who was just a kid…” 

The 17-year-old Kamila Valieva is to remain banned until December 2025 and, as per her early statements, the youngster aims to fight on. “The main thing is not to stop fighting, not to give up, to believe in yourself and in justice,” she had written.

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