"That means I had to have perfect elements.". More On: Outraged silver medalist Alexandra Trusova felt robbed of the gold in women's figure skating after her Russian Olympic Committee teammate Kamila Valieva's disastrous performance . Shcherbakova, who had a six-point lead after the short program, skated after Trusova. Her Olympic win is all the more impressive, not just given the circumstances surrounding Valieva, but also because Shcherbakova has been struggling with boot problems in Beijing, and is breaking in a new pair at the Games. Each week, we explore unique solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. In recent years, skating broadcasts have made it super easy for casual fans to follow along with the routine. 2023 Russian Figure Skating Championships. Nov 14, 2022, Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics Qualification, World and Olympic records set at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics Women's singles Doping controversy, 2022 Russian Figure Skating Championships, "Qualification System for XXIV Olympic Winter Games, Beijing 2022", "Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022: Event programme and athlete quota", "Results of Proposals in Replacement of the 58th Ordinary ISU Congress 2021", "Official Programme of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022", "ISU made a statement about the situation with Kamila Valieva", "Figure Skating Olympic Schedule & Results Beijing 2022", "XXIV Olympic Winter Games 2022: Ice Dance", "Armenian ice dancing pair qualifies for Winter Olympics", "Figure Skaters Kailani Craine and Brendan Kerry selected to Australian 2022 Winter Olympic Team", "Entsendungskriterien: Saison 2021/2022 Olympische Winterspiele (OWS) Peking, CHN", ": -2022 . ", " ", "BOIC maakt eerste selectie voor Beijing 2022 bekend", "- ", "13 Figure Skaters Nominated to Represent Team Canada at Beijing 2022", "Mu, ena i pr. I hate it. The 25-year-old, and oldest U.S. women's figure skater since 1928, put together a clean free skate the judges ruled a 136.2 to . Find out who took home gold, silver and bronze in 2022. .mw-parser-output .citation{word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}* Skaters who only competed in the short program/rhythm dance. the night's final skater . But theres another important score that viewers dont see (but skaters do) and doesnt get much explanation. Former American Olympic figure skater Polina Edmunds commented on the situation as well: Very traumatizing Olympic experience for Kamila Valieva. The drama starts to unfold following the intense women's free skate event and the shocking results. The pairs short program in figure skating got underway even . Kamila Valieva finished first in the women's figure skating short program at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Tuesday to qualify for Thursday's free skate and a chance at the gold medal. This is regulated by the ISU anti-doping rules and the IOC anti-doping rules for the Beijing 2022 Olympics."[6]. Karen Chen, who ended her second Olympics in 16th place, continued to struggle with the triple loop jump; its been her most inconsistent jump throughout the team competition and short program as well. The following first achievements set during this competition. Of Trusova, he says, There was no attempt at a program, no attempt at performance execution, and zero attempt at interpretation.. Never," she said. She should not have been allowed to compete, its devastating that she was put in this situation, on all levels. She ended in 16th, with a free score of 115.82 and a 179.93 total. And its hasnt been protected here in my opinion.. [43][44], By 9 March 2022, Travis Tygart of the USADA reported that Valieva had not requested that her "B" sample be tested, apparently accepting the results of initial testing and relying on her explanation that the banned substance TMZ belonged to her grandfather and only accidentally contaminated or became mixed into her own use of allowed nutrients and supplements. We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and NBC Sports is an established leader in the sports media landscape with an unparalleled collection of sports properties that include the Olympics, NFL, Premier League, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, the Kentucky Derby, Tour de France, French Open, IndyCar and many more. Surya Bonaly Tried to Do It 30 Years Ago. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images. Trusova reportedly told Tutberidze, you knew everything in the moments leading up to the medal ceremony. To allow for the possibility that Valieva's results may be disqualified, the IOC asked the ISU to expand the qualifying field for the women's singles free skating by one to 25, contingent upon Valieva being one of the top 24 skaters after the short program. What was also possible to hear in the broadcast:Trusova: I will never go on the ice again in my life! While medals were ultimately awarded in the womens event, the controversy over Valievas case is far from over. Its called the Program Components Score (PCS) and is considered the presentation and artistry aspect of skating. I will never skate again. Watch the Winter Olympics, now, and the Paralympics, beginning March 4, on NBC. Only one is banned", "Russia Grand Prix Figure Skating Valieva", ISU World Standings and Season's World Ranking, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Figure_skating_at_the_2022_Winter_Olympics&oldid=1140499508, International figure skating competitions hosted by China, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, First European and Russian woman to land a, First Mexican skater to qualify for the free skating at the Olympics, First skater to complete a non-downgraded quadruple, Fifth woman to land a triple Axel at the Olympics, Second woman to land two clean triple Axels at the Olympics after, First woman to land a triple Lutz + Euler + triple flip jump combination at the Olympics, First woman to land a quad flip + triple toe combination in competition, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 10:04. [61][62] Due to Valieva being a minor at the time, as well as being classified as a "protected person" under WADA guidelines, RUSADA and the IOC announced on 12 February that they would broaden the scope of their respective investigations to include members of her entourage (e.g. The controversy over that decision and pressure on the young teen as all eyes focused on her and the entire world questioned her abilities, took their toll as she fell on three of her seven jumping passes and ended up in fourth place. Sam Goodwin, 22 February 2022. Shes been struggling with the jump throughout the season and fell on one attempt during the warm-up before landing one later. "And when I get to that, I will win. The easiest and most frustrating explanation for the PCS numbers from the free skate and the controversial results of the short program is that as much as skating tries to be an objective sport, its not. [7] This schedule may be subject to change in due time. Uno Shoma captures first Grand Prix Final title, winning ninth career GP gold, Mihara Mai storms to Grand Prix Final win on debut, capping trio of GP golds this season, Charlne Guignard / Marco Fabbri (ITA) 206.84, Kaitlin Hawayek / Jean-Luc Baker (USA) 198.06, Laurence Fournier Beaudry / Nikolaj Srensen (CAN) 196.15, Anastasia Golubeva / Hektor Giotopoulos Moore (AUS) 181.37, Sophia Baram / Daniel Tioumentsev (USA) 176.78, Murakami Haruna / Moriguchi Sumitada (JPN) 149.03, Violetta Sierova / Ivan Khobta (UKR) 143.06, Chloe Panetta / Kieran Thrasher (CAN) 130.89, Nadiia Bashynska / Peter Beaumont (CAN) 167.26, Katerina Mrazova / Daniel Mrazek (CZE) 161.54, Phebe Bekker / James Hernandez (GBR) 156.97, Darya Grimm / Michail Savitskiy (GER) 152.01, Celina Fradji / Jean-Hans Fourneaux (FRA) 140.71, Figure Skating | Grand Prix Final | Torino, Alexa Knierim / Brandon Frazier (USA) 213.28, Deanna Stellato-Dudek / Maxime Deschamps (CAN) 184.28, Rebecca Ghilardi / Filippo Ambrosini (ITA) 180.39, Emily Chan / Spencer Akira Howe (USA) 162.91. In the free skate, she notched a 175.75, bringing her total to . The women's singles competition in figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held on 15 February (short program) and 17 February (free skating), at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Haidian District of Beijing. After finishing first in the short program, Valieva was fifth in the free, leading to her overall fourth place standing in the competition. The United States arrived in Beijing with hopes of a medal in women's figure skating, but it didn't come to fruition, as Alysa Liu, Mariah Bell and Karen Chen were all playing catch up after the short program. Edmunds explains that judges have a preconceived idea of what the winning order of skaters is supposed to look like. A total of 144 quota spots are available to athletes to compete at the games. Of those six, Kamila Valieva, Anna Shcherbakova, and Alexandra Trusova were selected for the Olympics. This didn't happen, that's why I was upset. tools Create account Log Pages for logged out editors learn more ContributionsTalk Navigation Main pageContentsCurrent eventsRandom articleAbout WikipediaContact usDonate Contribute HelpLearn editCommunity portalRecent changesUpload file Tools What links hereRelated changesUpload fileSpecial pagesPermanent linkPage informationCite this pageWikidata item. Skater Alexandra Trusova reacts to the women's individual event at the Beijing Winter Olympics. According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN),Russian newspaper RBC reported that the 15-year-old skater tested positive fora banned heart medication prior to the European Championships in January. March 7, 2022. Trusova left Tutberidze in 2020 to train with Evgeni Plushenko and left Plushenko in May 2021 to reunite and train with Tutberidze heading into the Olympics. Sam Goodwin, 22 February 2022. Speaking of the rest of the season leading up to this, and in the past few seasons, this has absolutely happened. On 15 February, after the short program, competitors asked about Valieva in the mixed zone largely tried to distance themselves from the situation, indicating that they preferred to focus on their own performances. Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today. Alex Abad-Santos is a senior correspondent who . Kamila Valieva, Russian score inflation, and a teammate's full-blown temper tantrum. Shcherbakova tallied a 75.26 factored score (blue): Trusova trailed her with 70.97 points, roughly four points behind. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance . USA's Mariah Bell competes in the free skate. Valieva and Shcherbakovas teammate Alexandra Trusova, who trains at the same Moscow school, won silver. Skater Kaori Sakamoto reacts to the women's individual event at the Beijing Winter Olympics. lang, Bell skated almost entirely clean though her lack of the most complicated technical elements held her back, ending with a free skate score of 136.92. The three Team USA women's figure skaters again failed to medal, earning the seventh, 10th and 16th places after two days of competition. The decision from the court was made on three grounds: (1) Due to her age, she is a "Protected Person" as per WADA Code, subject to different rules than adult athletes; (2) Athlete did not test positive during the Olympic Games in Beijing; (3) "There were serious issues of untimely notification of the results, which impinged upon the Athlete's ability to establish certain legal requirements for her benefit". The Russian Olympic Committee . The IOC said the decision was"in the interest of fairness to all athletes.". I still dont comprehend what happened, she said. You can now buy a fraction of a house. [14][15] By the end of the Beijing Olympics, a total five athletes were reported for doping violations. Stolz, a phenom who honed his . She's worked at PEOPLE for over seven years as a writer, reporter and editor across our Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams, covering everything from the Super Bowl to the Met Gala. Liu, 16 who led the U.S. skaters after the short program skated to "Violin Concerto in D" by Tchaikovski. Shcherbakova landed two quadruple jumps, both cleanly. I need a drink!, Read more: Quadruple Jumps Are Transforming Womens Figure Skating. Minutes later, she cried I wont go, I wont go, to the mascot ceremony at center ice, until her coach Eteri Tutberidze finally convinced her to skate out. ending a career in which she ranks third among American women . Getty Images. But she didn't. Prior to the competition, the existing ISU best scores were: No new best scores were set during this competition. Valieva was the heavy gold-medal favorite, but it was Russian teammate Anna Shcherbakova who took gold with a score of 175.75 in the free skate and 255.95 overall. The last gold-medal winner was Sarah Hughes, in 2002. Heres how it all went down. The following National Olympic Committees earned spots to compete, with the number of athletes in parentheses. All the results from the GP Final and Junior GP Final held in Turin, Italy, from 8-11 December 2022. . Sakamoto, for her part, seemed to cry tears of joy for finishing in third. Heading into the womens event, the big story was whether or not Valieva would win a medal. "I don't have the big jumps as others would have, which is a big handicap," she told reporters after, the Associated Press reports. Valieva has been inconsistent in landing her jumps in practice sessions, though, since her Dec. 25 test came to light around Feb. 8. For the Russian gold and silver medalists, this artistry has traditionally been lacking. Theres also the matter of Tutberidze not only coaching Valieva but coaching Shcherbakova and Trusova too. Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, reacts after competing in the women's free skate program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 17 . The American women finished in the top 20. It was a physical reminder, as if the competitors needed one, of the unprecedented situation in which they found themselves. Yet somehow Russians tend to be given higher scores over their competitors. Im overwhelmed that it happened on one hand, on the other hand I feel emptiness inside.. Skater Alysa Liu competes in the Beijing Winter Olympics. She reportedly did not speak with the press afterward. You can't do it this way! A hockey podcast that doesn't talk about last night's scores. Skating Scoring, Explained", "Russian skater Kamila Valieva cleared to compete at Olympics", "Figure skating-Russian media say teen star tested positive for banned drug", "Positive drug test by Russian Kamila Valieva has forced a delay of Olympic team medals ceremony", "The CAS Ad Hoc Division Declines to Impose a Provisional Suspension on the Russian Figure Skater Kamila Valieva", "IOC EB decides no medal ceremonies following CAS decision on the case of ROC skater", "Kamila Valieva had three substances that could be used to treat heart conditions in her sample. The five events took place between 4 and 20 February 2022. That's now how it should be.". Follow here for the latest news, results and updates. This was not how women's figure skating was supposed to end at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The decision was made by an independent sports arbitration court, but was almost universally criticized by past Olympians, including NBC commentators Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, who called Valeveas presence in the competition a slap in the face to the clean athletes and to the Olympic movement. "Interview with Travis Tygart (USADA, Kamila Valieva Doping, Russian Doping)". Anna Shcherbakova, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, won the event, and her teammate, Alexandra Trusova, the silver medal. Meanwhile Anna Shcherbakova, also of the ROC, was blank-faced and distant immediately after emerging as the gold-medal winner, instead of Valieva. And thats just unfortunate because there are strong athletes from all over and they all deserve the same recognition.. 148 athletes from 32 NOCs are expected to participate. Subscribe to our channel for the latest sporting news and highlights!NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal's Olympic coverage. Two other women are expected to attempt quads as well - ROC's Anna Shcherbakova (80.20) and Aleksandra Trusova (74.60). Nathan Chen spectacularly won gold in men's singles, and Team USA won silver in the team event, although that could conceivably be bumped up to gold at some point depending on what decisions are handed down regarding Valieva. Support our mission, and make a gift today. I personally dont understand why athletes are scared to speak up, Olympic swimmer Lilly King, tells TIME. Valieva was expected to finish among the top three, prompting the IOCs decision about postponing the medals ceremony. Russia Olympic Committee (ROC) figure skater Kamila Valieva, who is at the center of a doping scandal, finished in fourth place in the women's individual figure skating event with 224.09 points. Elana Meyers Taylor's sled won bronze in the two-woman bobsled event, U.S. freestyle skiers David Wise and Alex Ferreira also medaled, and a Chinese duo won the pairs figure skating competition. While her program components scores were considerably lower than those of the Japanese and Korean skaters, her high-scoring jumps were enough to surge her more than 30 points ahead of the field before her Russian teammates competed. It undercuts achievement from people who have a different style on the ice, Edmunds said. As a result of her poor performance, Valieva finished off the podium in fourth place, ending her much-maligned run at the Olympics. [26][27] Some commenting on the situation suggested that blame should not rest with the 15-year-old Valieva, but rather with the Russian system and the coaches and doctors around her. Final standings. [4], A total of five events were contested, one for men, one for women and three mixed.[5]. Shcherbakova earned gold with her technical excellence in both the short program and the free skate. BEIJING The United States won a silver medal in the figure skating team competition Monday morning, the country's best result since the event debuted in 2014. Sakamoto, 21, at one point was nearly sobbing. Women's final result - Grand Prix Final 2022. The Skating Lesson. Sakamotos moment, however, was sadly overshadowed by the drama occurring with the Russian squad, including the week-long pressure cooker of the event as the skating community has been up in arms over the fact that Valieva was allowed to compete despite the failed drug test. The 2023 Russian Figure Skating Championships ( Russian: 2023) were held from 20 to 25 December 2022 in Krasnoyarsk. NBC Sports. She probably saw the jumps that Trusova threw and knew her score. Kaori Sakamoto of Japan won bronze. BEIJING Kamila Valieva, the Russian figure skating star at the center of a doping scandal, showed up at the Olympic rink on Thursday night facing a single, heavy expectation, especially heavy . Figure Skating . The women's singles competition in figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held on 15 February (short program) and 17 February (free skating), at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Haidian District of Beijing. For a complete list of figure skating records, see, Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics Women's singles, 25 skaters advanced to the free skating rather than 24 due to. But, she told me, the most discouraging effect is on the athletes. [24][25] Several American skaters noted parallels with the case of U.S. pairs skater Jessica Calalang, who served an eight-month suspension from competition while under investigation for a positive doping test; Calalang was later absolved of any violations after the substance was concluded to be a metabolite of ingredients in her makeup, but she and her partner missed several key competitions during her suspension, including the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships. I realized I was caught up in this, and I was not going to skirt around the answer, but I was just going to come out and say it, You were caught drug cheating and Im not a fan.'. You knew everything! Valieva had a dismal skate, with falls and under-rotation on many of her jumps. [8] Names denoted with an asterisk (*) are skaters/teams eligible for the team event only. Sign up to our news and offers. For a time, it was unclear if Valieva would be allowed to compete in women's singles after she tested positive for a banned substance. U.S. national champion Mariah Bell pushed through a few shaky landings but managed to pull off a clean program, minus her planned triple-triple jump combination, which pushed her down in the standings to 10th, despite an emotional skate to K. D. Langs Hallelujah. Follow our live coverage of women's figure skating at the Beijing Olympics. In a way, however, their silence could be perpetuating the problem. In sharp contrast to the confident, controlled skater the world saw in the team event last week, before the news of her doping violation was made public, Valieva struggled to make it through each element, stumbling out of her first jump, a triple Axel, and putting her hand down on the ice to steady herself just as she did in the short program. Why I was angry, why I was disappointed for the first time I skated with five quadruples, I waited for this moment for a long time. Trusova won the free program, but since the overall results combine the short, in which she was fourth, and free program scores, she ended up in second for the silver. "Kamila Valiyeva could be banned through 2026 Winter Olympics". Heading into Thursdays free skate competition, there was an outcry from skating fans and experts about Tuesdays short program and how Trusova and Valieva had been over-scored despite having made egregious mistakes in their routines. In the hallway leading to the rink at Capital Indoor Stadium, all skaters walk past a bulletin board that now holds an announcement from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Google Pay. You can't do it this way! [13] WADA's filing in Valieva's hearing indicated that her acknowledgement of taking the two permitted substances undercut her testimony that the banned substance was ingested by error. Full scores and results from the 2023 U.S. ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2022 day 1 as it happened - Uno leads Japanese men 1-2-3 in short . Some in skating have pushed to raise the minimum age for participation at the Olympics from 15 to 17 or 18. "Without a doubt, she would be an incredible athlete without any performance aid and who knows if she's gotten any performance aid from these, if indeed she is taking them," Dr. Sean Heffron, a preventative cardiologist at NYU Langone's Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases, told PEOPLE. If skating was purely a jumping competition, which some critics say its already become, Trusova would have a right to be upset about not winning the gold. Over the past 16 days of the Winter . That doesnt make it true. "It's impossible. I hate skating. Kamila Valieva failed to medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics. While she attempted the notoriously difficult triple axel, she under-rotated on the landing. Yahoo Sport Australia, "Spanish skater caught in shock new scandal after Winter Olympics." Liu finished seventh with a total overall score of 208.95, while Bell placed 10th with an overall score of 202.30. All Rights Reserved. She had been in first after the . Valieva threw her hands up in frustration at the end of the program, before skating back to the kiss and cry and breaking down in tears. Skater Mariah Bell Opens Up Making It to the Olympics, the End of Her Engagement and More, Winning Women's Figure Skaters Will Get Medal Ceremony After Kamila Valieva's Surprising Fourth Place, Team USA's Women Skaters Advance to Final, Kamila Valieva Leads After Doping Controversy, Tara Lipinski, Johnny Weir Commentary Terse During Kamila Valieva's Skate, Say 'Thank God' She Doesn't Medal, Kristi Yamaguchi Addresses Kamila Valieva Controversy: 'Not Within the Olympic Ideals', Kamila Valieva Falls Multiple Times During Women's Figure Skating Final amid Doping Scandal, ROC Skater Alexandra Trusova Distraught After Silver Medal Finish, Says 'There Is No Happiness', IOC President Calls Out Skating Coaches Over Treatment of Kamila Valieva: 'Chilling Atmosphere', See All the Drama from Thursday's Women's Figure Skating Final in Photos, Drug Found in Russian Skater Kamila Valieva's System Could Help Her 'Train at a Higher Intensity', Russia's Kamila Valieva Cleared to Figure Skate at Beijing Games amid Doping Controversy, Russian Figure Skater Says She Feels 'Emptiness' After Winning Gold at Beijing Olympics, Figure Skater Kamila Valieva Makes History as She Lands Quad Jump What to Know About the Athlete. T he women's figure skating event at the 2022 Winter Olympics was supposed to be a coronation, a milestone event showcasing a trio of talented Russian skaters who had a realistic chance of . Here is a rundown of the top 10 finishers in the event, courtesy of NBCOlympics.com: A Russian podium sweep seemed almost certain when Valieva became the final skater to take the ice Thursday, but she struggled through a disastrous performance with multiple falls, as Christine Brennan of USA Today described: Wow. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. With a doping controversy clouding the second half of the individual event, on Thursday, organizers had already said they would not hold a medal ceremony if the presumed favorite, Russian skater Kamila Valieva, made it to the podium. Without the points from the triple Axel, Liu was unable to crack the top five and finished seventh as the three Russian women, two Japanese women, and South Koreas Young You, who earned more points for her program components, surpassed her. That could explain why the skaters in Beijing declined to answer the flood of media questions about how they felt about the fairness of Valieva competing. In a press conference the day after the free skating, IOC president Thomas Bach said he was "very, very disturbed" by the "chilling atmosphere" surrounding Valieva as coach Eteri Tutberidze berated her following a mistake-filled performance that dropped her off the podium. v. t. e. Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. 0 Comments. Follow here for the latest news, results and updates. Valieva received a provisional suspension, and it initially looked as though she would not be permitted to take part in women's singles at the Olympics, but the suspension was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Please enter a valid email and try again. Valieva was thrust into the spotlight during these Games after it was revealed she had reportedly tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine in December. [16], In mid-November, WADA requested that CAS take up the review of the Valieva case with an eye towards a 4-year suspension of Valieva, which would exclude her from competition at the next Winter Olympics, and to rescind her first place performance in the team event at the previous Beijing Olympics because, "the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) did not meet a WADA-imposed Nov. 4 deadline to deliver a verdict on Valieva's case. [21][22][23] Condemnation of the CAS decision also came from former and current figure skaters alike on social media, although several of Valieva's teammates defended her. The women's individual figure skating event, which had been marred from the beginning by the . The decision came with a catch, as the IOC announced no medal ceremony would be held for women's singles figure skating if Valieva finished in the top three. An additional five quota spots have been made available for, first host qualification, then if any are remaining, the team event. All the results from the GP Final and Junior GP Final held in Turin, Italy, from 811 December 2022. Valieva's final score of 224.09 also carries an asterisk and will be . [5] Out of her five quads, Trusova landed only two cleanly, with her Quad Flip receiving an edge call. Oops. "Everyone has a gold medal, everyone, but not me. In the past, Trusova has expressed frustration with her sport and the judging, and elaborated in Beijing by saying I was trying to achieve some lofty goals, to have more quadruple jumps. Valieva scored 141.93 in the free skating program which comes after her top score of 82.16 in the short program on Tuesday. The "Quad Squad" as the Russian figure skaters are known had been hoping to make Olympic history by pulling off a 1-2-3 sweep of the podium but it was not to be. This placed order benefit of the doubt may also affect the technical elements that the Russian skaters wield. Gold: Isabeau Levito 223.33 . A few athletes made general references about supporting "clean sport" and a "level playing field". At the press conference afterward, she said I did what I could. Given the emotional outcome, 2002 Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes tweeted, This is a time for reevaluating how things are done., Read more: The Russian School at the Center of the Controversial Beijing Olympics Womens Figure Skating Event.