EA few days after her drama in the freestyle at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, Russia’s figure skating star Kamila Walijewa spoke for the first time and above all thanked their controversial coach Eteri Tutberidze. “My first Olympics are finally over and I want to thank those who have brought me to this most important event in an athlete’s life – my coaches,” the 15-year-old, who is suspected of doping, wrote on Instagram on Monday for a picture with her and Tutberidze, Daniil Gleichengauz and Sergei Dudakov.
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The three are “absolute masters” of their trade. “And they not only train, but also teach us to overcome ourselves, which helps not only in sports but also in life. With them by my side, I feel safe and able to pass any exam. Thank you for helping me to be strong,” Valiyeva continued, who also thanked her team, her country and people around the world: “I will always remember, be grateful to you and skate for you. “
Valiewa had won gold in the team competition with the Russian team. After days of fuss about a positive doping test, she was allowed to start in the individual, led after the short program, but then couldn’t withstand the massive public pressure and missed out on a medal in fourth place. Afterward, the crying Valiyeva received no consolation from her 47-year-old coach Tutberidze, only harsh words. “Why did you give everything away like that? Why did you stop fighting? Explain that to me! After the Axel you gave it out of your hands”, can be heard on the television soundtrack.
“I got chills down my back”
IOC-Chef Thomas Bach had criticized Tutberidze’s behavior. “When I saw her being received by those around her, with what seemed to me like an enormous chill – it sent chills down my spine to see what was happening,” Bach had said. “Instead of comforting her, instead of helping her after what happened, you could feel how freezing the atmosphere was. Experiencing such distance just by looking at that person’s body language only made it worse in the imagination.”
The banned metabolism modulator trimetazidine was discovered in a doping sample taken by Valiyeva on December 25. However, the sample was not evaluated until February 8 – one day after the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) won the team competition for Valiyeva. The medals in this competition were not awarded because of the unsolved case in Beijing.
Coach Tutberidze reacted with surprise to Bach’s criticism of her behavior. “I am still at a loss as to the esteemed Mr. Bach’s assessment of our work,” she wrote on Instagram. The 47-year-old supported an open letter from the Russian coach Alexander Schulin to Bach on the social network. In it, Schulin expressed “surprised” by the reaction of the IOC President. Tutberidze has coached six Olympic medalists and four Olympic champions since 2014. “She probably knows how and what to say to her students after her performances,” Schulin wrote.
After days of fuss, Valiewa was greeted with cheers and applause from fans in Moscow. Russian media published videos of the European champion’s arrival at Sheremetyevo Airport last Friday. Supporters could be seen waving flags, holding up portraits of the athlete and shouting “thank you”.
Valiyeva also received flowers. However, she did not express herself in front of the cameras at the time. Valiyeva wore a black corona protective mask. You could see how she was obviously happy about the reception. A teammate said that Valiyeva was able to laugh again on the return trip despite the disappointment.