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Kamila Valieva misses out on medal in Beijing

Kamila Valieva misses out on medal in Beijing
© Reuters
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva misses out on a medal at the Winter Olympics after falling twice in her final free skate routine.

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has missed out on a medal at the Winter Olympics after falling twice during her final free skate routine.

The 15-year-old had found herself at the centre of the world's attention in Beijing after it emerged that she had tested positive for a banned substance in December.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport controversially ruled that she would be able to continue competing at the Games - a decision which was roundly criticised.

Valieva went into Thursday's free skate in first place and as hot favourite to claim a gold medal, but an error-strewn performance saw her miss out on a medal altogether.

The Russian went down twice during her routine and was visibly distraught at the end of a performance which raises more questions over whether she should have been allowed to compete.

The CAS ruling was based on the danger of any Olympic expulsion causing "irrevocable" damage to the youngster, although some have claimed that keeping her in the competition to weather the storm may have caused more harm.

Valieva ended up finishing fourth, narrowly missing out on a Russian 1-2-3 with compatriots Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova taking gold and silver respectively.

Japan's Kaori Sakamoto ended up in the bronze medal position, and Valieva's absence from the podium means that there will be a medal ceremony, with the IOC ruling that there would not be one if the 15-year-old had finished in the top three.

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Written by
Barney Corkhill

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