Skater Kamila Valieva Finds Freedom After 4-Year Ban

At just 15, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva stood on top of the world with an Olympic gold medal, only to have it stripped away after testing positive for a banned substance in 2022. Four years later, at 19, she's finding unexpected gifts in what seemed like her worst moment.

Valieva received a four-year ban after the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected her claim that contamination came from her grandfather's medication. The ruling cost her the Beijing team gold and barred her from the 2026 Winter Olympics.

But the suspension also freed her from something else: the scale. "They stopped weighing me," Valieva said, describing the first months of her ban as "absolutely fantastic" in terms of reduced physical pressure.

Under her previous training system at Moscow's Sambo-70, daily weigh-ins were mandatory. "Even though I tried healthy eating, we were still weighed every day at lunch," she explained. "Those extra 100 to 200 grams were the problem."

The mental toll ran deeper than numbers. "Weighing yourself every day can lead to eating disorders, which I had," Valieva shared candidly. "If you have 200 grams, you're done. You won't skate or jump anymore."

Her experience mirrors other skaters from the same training environment. Former Olympic champion Yulia Lipnitskaya once described surviving on powdered nutrients to lose weight. Alina Zagitova admitted limiting water intake during the Olympic season to maintain her weight.

The Bright Side

Valieva has moved to a new training setup under coach Svetlana Sokolovskaya at Moscow's Navka Arena. The change represents more than just a new rink. It's a fresh approach to a sport she started competing in before she could drive.

In April 2026, she made her return at the Russian Jumping Championships in Moscow, landing a clean quadruple toeloop that earned cheers from the crowd. She placed sixth in the duets segment and didn't advance to finals, but the performance wasn't really about placement.

At 19, Valieva can't compete internationally yet, and the 2026 Olympics passed without her. But the 2030 Winter Games in France remain a possibility when she'll be 23, competing with a healthier body and mind.

"If you have to look for the positive in everything, then you can find some positives in the disqualification too," she said. Sometimes the hardest falls teach us how to stand differently.