Kamila Valieva, Russia’s figure skating prima ballerina, will compete for the gold medal on Thursday in the women’s individual event, a competition that will end with a winner and two other medalists yet is likely to have no true conclusion for months.
Valieva, 15, was cleared to compete in the women’s event by a panel of arbitrators this week even though she had a banned heart drug in her system during the Russian national championships in December. That positive test was made public last week. Now, if she finishes in the top three, there will be no medal ceremony in Beijing because her doping case is unresolved.