Is Kamila coming?

On December 25, figure skater Kamila Valieva expired a four-year disqualification for using a prohibited substance. Fans are waiting for her on the big ice. But will there be a comeback? And will there be one at all?

Before we start talking about the athlete’s likely return, let’s briefly recall the sad backstory.

On February 9, 2022, in the midst of the Beijing Olympics, it became known that trimetazidine was found in the sample of then 15-year-old Kamila, a medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases that does not help at all to take off high and land beautifully, but is illegal for professional athletes. Moreover, the schoolgirl passed the test itself on December 25, 2021. But the Stockholm laboratory, where the “package” was sent, either spent a long time checking the material, or was waiting for the “appropriate” time for public notification... In short, this unpleasant detail for our federation surfaced only on Chinese soil, a day before the Russian figure skaters were awarded gold medals for winning the team championship. The ceremony, of course, was postponed without confirming the result...

The name of the one who got into trouble was revealed quite quickly, although Eteri Tutberidze and the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) did not immediately admit that it was Valieva who was under the hood. Nevertheless, after emergency meetings and hearings, Kamila was allowed to participate in the personal tournament, in which she had enough nerve and strength for the short program (1st place), but not enough for the free program: the young favorite of the Games, unable to withstand the psychological pressure (Western media criticized powerfully and harshly), lost not only to Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, but eventually even lost bronze to the Japanese Kaori Sakamoto...

The investigation into Valieva’s crazy case (at first, our side played for time and remained silent; then the lawyers tried to convince the court that the medicine entered the figure skater’s body from her grandfather’s unwashed glass; and then they promoted a household version with a cake that was “poorly” prepared by an old relative who was taking a heart drug) lasted almost two years. One way or another, it was not possible to prove the absence of intent in the use of trimetazidine. And on January 29, 2024, sad news came from Lausanne: the athlete was finally found guilty of violating anti-doping rules and disqualified for a period of four years, starting on December 25, 2021. Valieva's competitive achievements from that moment were canceled with all the ensuing consequences (including deprivation of any titles, awards, medals, prizes and payments for performances).

And on January 30, 2024, the results of the team tournament in Beijing 2022 were officially revised: gold was taken from Russia and given to the Americans, and silver went to the Japanese. Thus, the innocent guys - Mark Kondratyuk, Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Gallyamov, Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov - lost their Olympic title because of Valieva and were content with bronze (Kamila’s points were subtracted from the total).

The most talented girl herself, who was predicted to have a brilliant future and all the world’s regalia, was left without any major awards in her short career

(the title of Russian champion 2022 went to Alexandra Trusova, and the title of European champion 2022 to Anna Shcherbakova). Camila retained only planetary records for points scored in the short (87.42) and free (185.29) programs, as well as for the sum of two performances (272.71). These pure tricks happened in November 2021 at the Rostelecom Cup Grand Prix stage. In general, Valieva has nothing to brag about today. To brag, let me emphasize, in a sporting sense.

In other areas, no one forbade Camila to act. Having come to her senses, she slid onto the screens: she starred in television programs (“New Star Factory”, “New Battle of Psychics”, “Confectioner”, “Good Night, Kids!”), tried herself as a presenter on Channel One and New Song of the Year. Attended secular and non-secular events. I managed to finish school calmly and entered university. And since the spring of 2024, she periodically performed in ice shows with Ilya Averbukh and Tatiana Navka. By the way, Valieva is now skating at the Navka Arena in Svetlana Sokolovskaya’s group (it’s no secret that the collaboration with Eteri Tutberidze, who treacherously distanced herself from her student after the doping incident, stopped) and has allegedly already begun staging competitive programs.

But starting doesn’t mean returning. After all, Camila has become four years older in every sense. This is a person, excuse me, with a different body and mind, a different outlook on life and sports, a different mood and attitude. By the way, so far Valieva has not given any comments and therefore virtually no one knows how motivated she is now. Yes, fans want to see her compete with Adelia Petrosyan and other even younger stars. But does Valieva herself need this? Let's be honest: many people go into sports to earn money. More precisely, they want to achieve victories and titles, since subsequently it is these that bring excellent dividends. Look at Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva. Their current fees and advertising contracts cause envy even among football players... So, Valieva, who is now involved in many shows and New Year's performances and is an ambassador for various companies, does not suffer from lack of funds. And at the same time he does not suffer from injuries and other unpleasant moments that accompany the harsh training process. Well, you understand. And Camila, I’m sure, is perfectly aware of her current situation: she is capable of skating without straining, delighting the public and receiving “scholarships” with six zeros, even in the costume of the Rat Queen in “The Nutcracker.”

But to return to the hot ice after a noisy scandal and start working hard, you need a specific goal. And a concrete understanding of how to achieve it. And here it will be necessary to overcome oneself again, throwing everything into realizing a high and bright dream. But it’s always hard to catch up...

Tatyana Navka, of course, stated that from her “academic” side she would support and supervise the native of Kazan in every possible way. But Tatyana Tarasova is skeptical about the combination of Sokolovskaya and Valieva: “The decision is unexpected. They don’t leave Tutberidze. She is an excellent trainer. And in the show, Kamila already works for Navka... I don’t believe that with Sokolovskaya, Kamila will be able to return to the sport..."

It should be noted here that Svetlana Vladimirovna, as she herself once joked, prefers to raise boys. And at one time she did not find a common language with either Alexandra Trusova or Sofia Samodelkina. But, in my humble opinion, the question now is not about the figure of the coach. In the end, you can always change it and find another, more suitable one... It all comes down to one point: is Camila, who will turn twenty in April, eager to plunge into this whirlpool again and begin to restore her previous form and decent content, gaining confidence and stability day by day? And even if it is restored, where is the guarantee that this will help win at least one title, even on domestic ice? And don’t forget that international starts – and they are the ones of main interest – are still closed for Russia. And when the window opens, foreign judges, no doubt, will probably look at Kamila as a doping agent, and not as a poor girl who suffered from the machinations of evil uncles...

Showing up in official battles without any motivation or PR for the sake of it is a stupid idea. Why? Because fans remember very well her exclusive performances with standard quadruple jumps. And starting to fall and lose is not the best option, to put it mildly, to remind yourself.

In short, Valieva, who is planning to restart her career, needs to calculate all the risks. But if she gives up the bird in her hands and, reaching for the slippery crane in the sky, flies to the golden pedestal, everyone will be only happy.