Today at the Winter Olympics: Kamila Valieva facing anxious wait in doping saga
The 15-year-old Russian figure skater’s troubling situation continued to overshadow the action in Beijing.
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Teenage figure skater Kamila Valieva will discover on Monday whether she can compete in the individual competition in Beijing
The troubling doping saga continued to overshadow the action on Saturday, with the International Skating Union joining the International Testing Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency in registering appeals against a decision by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to lift a provisional suspension and enable the 15-year-old to continue to compete.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed in a statement that the three applications will be heard by video conference in Beijing on Sunday evening, with the decision notified to the parties concerned on Monday afternoon.
It was a mixed day for Britain, with Eve Muirhead’s curling team getting their semi-final bid back on track with a 10-5 victory over previously unbeaten USA, while Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson qualified for the ice dancing free programme in 10th.
Snowboard cross star Charlotte Bankes will leave Beijing without a medal after she teamed up with Huw Nightingale to finish fifth in the mixed event.
Stars of the day
After righting the wrongs of 16 years ago in the individual snowboard cross, Lindsey Jacobellis, 36, teamed up with fellow veteran Nick Baumgartner, 40, to win another gold in the inaugural mixed team event. Baumgartner said: “You’re never too late to take what you want from life and follow your dreams. You let yourself down if you quit too early, doesn’t matter how old you are. Our success at our age is a perfect example of that and we both hope our stories can inspire other people to go out there.”
Fail of the day
British Skeleton’s proud record at the Winter Olympics has taken a battering in Beijing. All four competitors in the men’s and women’s events have been well off the pace, with Pyeongchang bronze medallist Laura Deas only managing 19th place on Saturday.
Picture of the day
Social media moment
What’s on tomorrow
Fresh from her thrilling fifth-place finish in last week’s snowboard Big Air competition, 17-year-old Kirsty Muir returns to Olympic action as she joins Katie Summerhayes in qualifying for the snowboard slopestyle event (0200 UK). Meanwhile, it is an important day in the curling competition, with Bruce Mouat’s men facing China (0105 UK) and Denmark (1205 UK), while Muirhead also faces the Danes (0605 UK).