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A16 sports
Wednesday 16 February 2022
Emotional Valieva takes lead in Olympic figure skating

By BERNIE WILSON in the stands and began to
AP Sports Writer cry. He later spoke to them
BEIJING (AP) — Russian through a fence separat-
teen sensation Kamila Va- ing those allowed inside
lieva put aside the emo- Beijing's Olympic bubble
tional exhaustion of being from the fans.
at the center of a doping "I was thinking back to
scandal and took the lead when I was 4 years old and
in the women's figure skat- my first time snowboard-
ing competition after the ing," he said in English. "I'm
short program at the Beijing so appreciative. This mo-
Olympics. ment is so special for my
Skating despite a positive family."
drug test, Valieva started SILVER FOR GU
her pursuit of a second Eileen Gu won't win three
gold medal with a score gold medals at the Beijing
of 82.16 points on Tuesday. Games, but she can still
She faltered on her open- become the first extreme
ing triple axel and then sports athlete to win three
made it through the rest of medals at an Olympics.
her program. The 18-year-old American-
The 15-year-old Va- born freestyler who is com-
lieva tested positive for a peting for her mother's
banned heart medication home country of China
from a sample given in De- narrowly missed out on the
cember, a result that only gold medal in slopestyle.
emerged last week after She finished .33 points be-
she helped Russia win gold hind Mathilde Gremaud of
in the team event with a Switzerland. Gremaud took
historic performance. It the bronze in the big air
included her landing the event won by Gu.
first quadruple jumps by a Gremaud was the first to go
woman at the Olympics. in the second round and
The Court of Arbitration for posted the score to beat.
Sport ruled Monday that Gu vaulted from the back
Valieva should be allowed of the pack but couldn't
to compete in part be- quite overtake Gremaud.
cause she is a minor, known "I trust the judges. Some-
as a "protected person," times they give it to you,
and is subject to different sometimes they don't," Gu
rules from an adult athlete. said.
But the decision has been Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, reacts in the women's short program during "And today, they didn't. ... I
roundly criticized, including the figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Beijing. did everything that I could
by others that performed Associated Press that was in my control, and
before her on Tuesday. some things you just can't
Valieva is the overwhelm- have been very difficult for won three in a career. ticed Max Parrot missing a control and you just have
ing favorite for the gold me. I'm happy but I'm tired Corinne Suter of Switzer- grab on his first jump. Parrot to accept it."
and Russia is aiming for the emotionally." land won the downhill gold took bronze Tuesday. Gu will compete in freeski
first sweep by any nation of She broke into tears as she and defending champion It was China's second gold halfpipe later this week.
the women's Olympic po- skated off the ice Tuesday Sofia Goggia of Italy had medal at Big Air Shougang BOBSLEDDING HISTORY
dium. night. an inspiring performance following Eileen Gu's win in Germany posted the first
Reigning world champion The free skate is Thursday. to take the silver less than freestyle skiing. podium sweep by any na-
Anna Shcherbakova was SHIFFRIN a month after a bad crash Su, a 17-year-old aspiring tion in any Olympic bob-
second with 80.20 points. Mikaela Shiffrin is 0 for 4 at and serious leg injury. Na- actor who had a part in the sled race, led by Francesco
Kaori Sakamoto of Japan the Beijing Olympics after dia Delago of Italy took the 2014 action film "The Tak- Friedrich piloting the win-
had a score of 79.84 to pre- finishing 18th in the down- bronze. ing of Tiger Mountain," led ning sled in the two-man
vent a 1-2-3 Russian finish hill. It was hardly unexpect- SU JOINS GU by 17.5 points entering the event. Johannes Lochner
in the short program. Alex- ed considering it was the Teenager Su Yiming went final round. He started the drove the silver-medal
andra Trusova, the other first time she's competed in spinning through the air in competition with consecu- sled and Christoph Hafer
member of the Russian that event in her Olympic front of the cooling tow- tive 1800s — five spins — first steered his bobsled to the
"Quad Squad," was fourth career and her struggles in ers and smokestacks of an completing the trick going bronze.SPEEDSKATING
with 74.60 points. earlier races. old steel mill to win China's forward, then backward. The United States won its
Whatever happens on the Shiffrin is planning to enter first Olympic snowboarding Su went off casually on his second speedskating med-
ice, Valieva will not get a two more races: the Alpine gold medal and elevate his last jump and then held his al of the Beijing Olympics
medal ceremony moment combined on Thursday — celebrity status. hands to his head during when it took the bronze in
in Beijing. Nor will any skater she won a silver in that at Su had such a big lead af- an ovation from the crowd. team pursuit. With 36-year-
who finishes in the top three the 2018 Pyeongchang ter two rounds that other Su hadn't seen his parents old Joey Mantia leading
with her. Olympics — and the team competitors played it safe, in seven months while train- three American skaters
Valieva told Russian state event on Saturday. She just trying to earn a podium ing in Europe and com- through all eight laps, the
broadcaster Channel One owns two gold medals from spot. He took the silver in peting around the world. U.S. denied Sven Kramer
in comments shown Mon- past Olympics; no Ameri- slopestyle and would have Shortly after getting on the of the Netherlands his 10th
day night that "these days can Alpine skier ever has had gold if judges had no- podium, Su spotted them career medal.q