The women's long program results (skating)........don't look if you don't want to know...

[a kennedy]

Last edited Thu Feb 17, 2022, 10:42 AM - Edit history (1)

Two ROC skaters won Gold, Silver, and a Japanese woman the Bronze. It’s just horrible to watch what’s going around this whole “live” affair. It’s just a joke, the tv coverage is on the USA channel. It’s just soooooooooooo sad.

https://www.cnn.com/sport

[likesmountains 52]

1. It is heartbreaking.

[AngryOldDem]

2. This is for the best.

She needs to just fade into the shadows now. But this does not let the Russian coaches or the IOC off the hook. This issue of doping must be seriously dealt with.

[MiniMe]

6. Valiyeva did not skate well at all

I felt bad for her at the end. But the commentators were correct, she never should have been allowed to compete. Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski? The adults around her failed her.

[LisaL]

15. It's not surprising. She is only 15 and under enormous pressure

over the doping scandal. Not many people could get it together after that.

[LisaL]

16. I suppose we could still tar and feather her.

NT

[MiniMe]

17. I don't blame her

But I do blame the adults around her. She shouldn't be getting a free pass

[LisaL]

18. I agree.

15 year old is going to do what adults tell her to do.

[AngryOldDem]

21. I don't think I have done that.

Of course her age is a mitigating factor. I said that’s what makes this case so difficult in terms of dealing with her. Do I buy her excuses? No. But she’s still a kid. I don’t have a problem with a suspension, because some penalty is called for. The real problems — as I said early on — lie with the ROC and IOC. They ultimately need to be held accountable.

She needs now to go home and try to be a normal teenager, whatever that means in Russia. And I am done with this constant arguing. Have a good one.

[MiniMe]

23. I agree. But there has to be consequences.

If there are no consequences, the ROC will just start with younger and younger athletes.

[WarGamer]

29. Just a note about her in Russia...

She's wildly popular in Russia, has 821k followers on Instagram and is making bank on endorsement deals and such...

She'll continue to compete after the Olympics and will be fine...

I hope she redeems herself.

[WarGamer]

27. these athletes know their sport...

I think she took the falls on purpose to 1) Get herself out of the spotlight/controversy and 2) To allow her team mate who tested clean to Gold and Silver

Her B test is going to come back dirty... if she won gold, it'd screw over her team mates.

Now the ROC skaters can be on the podium and take Gold + Silver

And I hope she continues to compete, tests CLEAN and is very successful at the competitions between now and 2026... and I hope she redeems herself in 26 by skating cleanly and medals.

She'll be 19 a couple years older than her team mate who just won Gold.

[AngryOldDem]

33. I've not seen it yet, but I agree.

And I thought I read when scrolling through GD that her coach got on her about not trying hard enough when she left the ice?

I think a suspension, not a ban, is warranted here. This was child abuse. Ideally, she would leave Russia and go someplace else. She may very well be through in Russia, though, and she may never recover her reputation with the skating cimmunity. A sad mess.

She needs to take a break, for both her physical and mental wellbeing.

[phylny]

36. From what I have read,

the Russian coach doesn't teach the young skaters proper technique, and abuses their young, growing bodies, so by the time puberty hits, they are unable to compete.

[magicarpet]

3. Mr. Kennedy, would you be so kind as to source this contention you just made....

[magicarpet]

7. .... looking for a link dude.....

[a kennedy]

9. I added an article: it's from CNN

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/beijing-winter-olympics-02-17-22-spt/h_44f5807a4e02a9a077ffcca858489547

[magicarpet]

35. Thank you sir,.. That was a nice news catch,... But I could not share without a source link.

[dv421]

4. I hate to think this

but I wonder if Putin ordered her to tank so he could get the pictures of the medal ceremony with 2 ROC athletes on the podium.

Valieva still has to deal with this because of the team event.

[bullwinkle428]

20. Trust me - you're not the only one thinking this. Part of me says the coaching staff

told her to take a dive, so they can still come away with gold (and silver), stand up on that podium, listen to the anthem, etc., and celebrate their "success". The whole thing stinks to high heaven, and there's still the issue of the team "win". Are they still receiving a gold medal for that, or will the U.S. get to celebrate their rightful result at some point?

[dv421]

25. Team event probably will not be resolved until summer

They have to go through the process of the B sample, and then all the appeals.

Sucks for everyone else involved. I'm out of f^&*s to give for ROC.

[AngryOldDem]

34. Christine Brennan had a great line...

“They’ll get their medals from a FedEx box on their kitchen tables.”

Russia ruined this for everybody.

[StevieM]

43. When the test comes back positive here will be the final results:

Last edited Fri Feb 18, 2022, 01:26 AM - Edit history (3)

1. United States
2. Japan
3. Canada

They will receive gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively. There won't be a ceremony though. My understanding is that they receive their medals in the mail. I suppose the U.S. figure skating association might hold an event for them.

On Edit: it looks like it is not so cut and dry as to whether the Russians are stripped of the team medal. I posted some links to articles on this matter in my reply a couple of posts below.

[LisaL]

44. That's not true at all.

Positive test for one member of the team doesn't mean the whole team is disqualified.

[StevieM]

45. I have been reading up on this.

The Russians are arguing that it doesn't disqualify the whole team because the positive test did not come in-competition, meaning at the Beijing games. So it looks like they may keep the team medal, but Valieva won't get on herself.

I had previously heard that the whole team might be stripped of their victory.

Here are a couple of articles that address the matter:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/team-russia-says-its-determined-to-keep-figure-skating-gold-despite-kamila-valievas-failed-drugs-test

https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/33256776/olympics-2022-know-russian-figure-skater-kamila-valieva-alleged-positive-drug-test

[lark]

5. Yeah, I'm protesting the whole thing by not watching.

First time since I was a child that I didn't watch the Olympic womens individual programs, not one second, and will not watch it ever - it is such a travesty. I watched every minute of the mens, team and dance programs but will watch none of the womens. Can't wait for pair skating!

Thankfully I love all the ski jumps and races so there's still plenty to watch, even with the sadness of Russias cheating - STILL - and being allowed to get away with it. Disgusting.

[Boomerproud]

8. I'm with you.

Nathen Chen really stole the show didn't he? Had no interest in watching the women.

[lark]

13. Loved watching Nathan Chen!

If not for this doping mess, I would have watched every second of the womens' as well.

[LisaL]

14. You can watch it safely now.

She didn't win a medal.

[milestogo]

10. Thanks for the spoiler warning.

[a kennedy]

11. Ah shoot, I'm so sorry.........really I didn't even think of that......really I'm so sorry.

[madaboutharry]

12. You can fix it now by editing your title.

[madaboutharry]

19. A few thoughts:

First: This should have never happened. Valieva should not have been allowed to compete after a positive test for a banned drug. That is it.

Second: I do feel empathy for her. The coach and other adults around her failed her. And now, they will abandon her as she no longer is of any use to them.

Third: One of the reasons given for allowing her to compete was concern for her mental health. Well, after the emotional meltdown we just witnessed on live television it seems clear that this girl is headed for serious mental health problems and most likely years of therapy.

Fourth: I am thrilled for Kaori Sakamoto. She skated flawlessly, beautifully, and elegantly. Her bronze medal is most deserved.

[obamanut2012]

22. I will expand on one of your points

Kaori Sakamoto should have won Silver -- she was quite obviously underscored in the SP. Love her skating, madaboutharry!

[madaboutharry]

24. And this:

Johnny Weir speaks Russian, so he was able to understand what the girl who won the Silver medal was saying after it was all over. He said she was upset that she didn't win the gold. I thought her performance was all technical, just jumps.

Kaori Sakamoto will be an Olympic hero in her country for having made her way to a medal in the middle of this quagmire of a competition.

I agree, Sakamoto's skating was much more beautiful than the girl who won the Silver.

[Retrograde]

30. The Guardian's coverage isn't as tactful

"The result was controversial as [second place finisher] Trusova, who performed five quadruple jumps, felt she deserved victory. “I hate everyone! I hate!” she said. “I don’t want to do anything else in a figure, never in my life! Never, I hate this sport! I hate her, I hate it all!"

Full story at the website

[lindysalsagal]

38. Alexandra Trusova's disgraceful tantrum was shocking

Alexandra Trusova, the other Russian, did 5 quads and didn't get the gold. I can almost understand her thinking, because if 5 quads aren't enough, wtf? But, her teammate did get the gold, and she was angry about that. So, they're apparently competing against each other, unlike athletes on other teams. But it demonstrates the truth about the Russian medal machine: the machine comes first, and good sportsmanship is non-existant. Makes the doping issues less surprising. They're not there for the love of the sport: only what winning can bring them.

[LisaL]

40. They are pretty young.

And it's not just jumps, there is an artistic component in which the gold medal winner is clearly better.

[LisaL]

39. There is no controversy in Trusova not winning the gold.

There is an artistic component in which the gold winner did better. Also, the results of short and long programs are combined. Trusova fell in the short program and was behind going into long program. She could have won gold if she did better in a short program.

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

26. OMG that was gut wrenching to watch, a horrific car crash with victims all over the ice

Torturous to watch backstage after with all the raw emotions, the medal ceremony for the poor winner, she couldn't even enjoy winning gold.

[allegorical oracle]

28. Egad...it was SO sad. At the end of the event, there

were three skaters crying. Valieva was inconsolable. The silver medal winner, mascara running down her cheek, was balking at returning to center ice to receive her panda bear (no medal). The Japanese skater was happy but crying to release her pent-up anxiety. And the other Russian -- the gold medal winner -- was standing alone holding a teddy bear looking totally confused because no one was congratulating her. Everyone was crowded around Valieva. Nobody got their medal, no anthems were played. So unfair to the other skaters.

[madaboutharry]

31. The medal ceremony is this evening at the "medal" venue.

That is how they are doing it for all medal winners this time.

[beaglelover]

32. So happy the cheater did not medal.

[mnhtnbb]

37. You can't fall on your butt and medal.

Karma tripped her up.

[Bad Thoughts]

41. They probably withdrew the medication too quickly

I'll bet the coaches hope she would stop taking the medication in order to pass subsequent tests, but failed to account for the effects of taking the medication away too quickly.

[BlueSpot]

42. I just hope she turns her anger where it should be directed

Not at herself. Not at the sport. But at the coaches and other adults who led her down this path.

I don't even like figure skating but it's horrible what was done to this kid. I just hope she doesn't do anything to harm herself.