If a Medal Arrives in the Mail, Does It Still Shine?

Kamila Valieva of Russia competing in the women’s singles short program on Tuesday at the Beijing Olympics.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesThere will be no winners.

If Kamila Valieva duplicates the nearly flawless skill she has flashed so far at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday, she will be a lock to finish first in the women’s skating competition.

First place, but she will not take home the gold medal, not yet, possibly never.

First place, but skaters who finish behind her will always wonder what might have been if she had been barred from taking the ice after testing found a banned substance in her urine.

First place, but the entire 2022 Winter Games, already controversial because of…