⛸️Kamila Valieva, the Russian 15-year-old figure skater, left spectators spellbound on Monday, when she became the first woman to land a quadruple jump at the #WinterOlympics
But now, her medal hangs in the balance.
Thread 👇🧵
telegraph.co.uk/winter-olympic…
📰It has been reported that Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a medicine used to prevent angina attacks and to treat vertigo, but which can also help endurance and increase blood flow efficiency.
The IOC is investigating.
Whatever the outcome, the alleged scandal has highlighted an unfortunate truth about figure skating.
🔴Behind the beauty and elegance lies a brutality, coaches and former skaters say; a gruelling training regime fuelled by intense stress
“There is constant pressure on the girls, and it is very present,” says Benoit Richaud, who skated for France’s men’s team between 2005 and 2009
🗣️“The girls have the impression that the peak of their careers should be at 15… you must be an adult at 15. It is ridiculous"
The sport’s brutal physical demands have led, in some cases, to an obsessive culture of dieting.
Former skaters talk of a pressure to stay pretty and petite; eating disorders are common
🇷🇺In Russia, the regime is even more brutal.
Young skaters routinely face 12-hour days on the ice, alongside gruelling flexibility and fitness exercises.
⭐️The very best are then sent to star coach Eteri Tutberidze.
Valieva was just 12 when she was granted her entry into her elite skating group.
🎖️Tutberidze – who was awarded Russia’s Order of Honour by Vladimir Putin in 2018 – has curated a controversial method to win
“When you learn the elements in adolescence, everything is easier – psychologically and injuries heal faster,” she has previously said.
The pressure on young skaters has intensified considerably since the mid-Nineties, coaches say.
➡️With each competition, they get younger and younger, and the medals are more highly coveted
Read more from @lukemintz,@VerityBowman and @genevieve_holl 👇
telegraph.co.uk/winter-olympic…
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