Russian teen skates after positive drug test

The 15-year-old Kamila Valieva finished in first place in the women’s figure skating short program at the Beijing Olympics, breaking down in tears after her performance. Ahead of the competition, Valieva told Russian media she was “emotionally tired,” noting the difficulty of the past few days. She will compete with 24 other athletes in Thursday’s free skate, the final element of the women’s singles figure skating competition.

What was the outcome of her drug test? The International Testing Agency said Valieva tested positive in December for trimetazidine, a heart medication banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2014. The Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared her to compete on Monday, citing her status as a protected person, the short notice, and the suspicion the case could cause her “irreparable harm.” Valieva’s lawyers blamed her positive test on a mixup with her grandfather’s heart medication. The International Olympics Committee said she would not qualify for any medals until the case is resolved. Organizers of the summer Paris 2024 Olympics in a statement vowed to avoid a repeat of Valieva’s case as they committed to executing an effective anti-doping program.

Dig deeper: Read Anna Timmis’ report in Muse on activists calling for Olympic boycotts over China’s human rights abuses.