February 2022. Beijing, China. It is the ultimate day of the Olympic girls’s determine skating competitors, however the temper is way from celebratory.
The slate of applications has simply wrapped up. The Russian federation was anticipating a podium sweep, however it’s not going to get one. Its presumed gold medalist, 15-year-old phenom Kamila Valieva, is hunched over along with her head in her arms. She fell twice in her lengthy program to plummet into fourth place, and she or he did it whereas struggling by the brunt a worldwide doping scandal. Various parties alleged that Valieva entered the Video games utilizing unlawful performance-enhancing substances, and people events will finally be proved right.
Valieva is a toddler. Her coaches, not her, are chargeable for the medicine being put in her physique. However right here she is, actually and figuratively taking the autumn, whereas her teaching crew stands impassive behind her.
Valieva’s two teammates, Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova, do handle to make the rostrum, however not within the order they anticipated to. Shcherbakova takes gold with a candy, completely executed lengthy program, whereas Trusova takes silver with an athletically formidable various. Trusova is furious. She was promised a better seeding than she ended up getting, and she or he’s screaming at their shared coach with mascara operating down her face.
“I hate skating,” she sobs. “I hate it. I hate this sport. I’ll by no means skate once more. By no means.”
Shcherbakova, in the meantime, is on their lonesome within the winner’s chair on the alternative aspect of the rink. She’s staring into space like she’s disassociating from a horror movie. Nobody involves congratulate her, save shock bronze medalist Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, who by no means anticipated to get close to the rostrum whereas Russia was busy throttling it. Sakamoto is the one lady within the constructing with something resembling a smile on her face.
