Olympics Live: 'Tired' Valieva ready to compete for gold

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva says she is happy but worn out after a grueling doping hearing ended with her being allowed to skate at the Beijing Games

Beijing Olympics Figure Skating (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The Latest on the Beijing Winter Olympics:

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Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva says she's happy but worn out after a grueling doping hearing ended with her being allowed to skate at the Beijing Games.

The 15-year-old tells Russian state broadcaster Channel One that the past few days have been very difficult for her.

“I’m happy but I’m tired emotionally," she said in comments broadcast Monday night.

Valieva is the favorite for the gold medal in the women’s competition alongside her Russian teammates Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova. The competition starts with the short program Tuesday night Beijing time and continues with the free skate Thursday.

There won’t be a medal ceremony if Valieva finishes in the top three because the International Olympic Committee is concerned she could still be banned over a failed drug test from Dec. 25. That test was not revealed until after she won team gold with the Russian Olympic Committee last week.

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