Kamila Valieva looks like she’ll have laid claim to two gold medals by the time she leaves the Beijing Winter Olympics, although whether she ever gets hold of them is still anyone’s guess.
The young Russian figure skater caught up in an Olympic doping row was lying in first spot after Tuesday’s individual short program and will go into Thursday’s free skate as clear favorite ahead of teammate Anna Shcherbakova.
If the 15-year-old does win the title, or even finishes on the podium, the International Olympic Committee has warned it will call off any medal ceremony until doping allegations against her have been fully examined. Depending on the outcome of that probe, she could be denied any medals from Beijing.
