Kamila Valieva thanked her coaches for making her 'feel protected' days after a 'chilling' public dressing down when she fell on the ice
- Methods employed by figure skater Kamila Valieva's coaches were a hot topic at the Winter Olympics.
- Head coach Eteri Tutberidze berated Valieva after she fell in the women's free skate final.
Teenage figure skater Kamila Valieva thanked her coaches for making her "feel protected" days after she was publicly admonished for falling during her final performance at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Valieva, 15, was on course for victory in the women's individual figure skating event but fell twice during her free skate routine — which came after days of intense scrutiny and attention over her continued participation in the games after a failed drugs test.
After leaving the ice following her routine, Valieva's coach Eteri Tutberidze questioned why she had stopped "fighting" after her first fall.
"Why did you stop fighting? Explain it to me — why?" Tutberidze asked Valieva as she exited the rink. "You let it go after that axel. Why?"
Tutberidze's approach to Valieva, who was visibly upset, drew fierce criticism from some corners, with IOC boss Thomas Bach calling the incident "chilling."
Such was the international uproar over Valieva's treatment that senior Russian politicians responded, calling Bach's comments "inappropriate and wrong."
"We are deeply disappointed to see an IOC president weave his own fictional narrative on the feelings of our athletes," Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said.
Valieva, however, praised her coaches after the games, posting an Instagram tribute to Tutberidze and several other coaches on Monday.
"My trainers Eteri Georgievna [Tutberidze], Sergey Viktorovich [Davydov], Daniil Markovich [Gleikhengauz]. You are absolute masters at what you do! You not only train, but also teach how to overcome yourself, which helps not only in sport but also in life," she wrote, per a translation Russian state news outlet RT.
"With you by my side, I feel protected and able to overcome any ordeals. Thank you for helping me to be strong,"
Valieva was one of the biggest talking points of the Beijing Games after it was revealed that she failed a drugs test in December 2021 at the Russian national figure skating championships. Valieva tested positive for the banned angina medication trimetazidine but was allowed to keep competing in Beijing after an appeal.
She won gold in the team event before the test was revealed, but there was no medal ceremony amid the ongoing doping investigation. She was also told that should she finish in the top three in the individual event, nobody would get a medal until the investigation's conclusion.
In a separate Instagram post Monday, Valieva shared a photo of herself attending a concert by Russian pop star Vanya Dmitrienko after returning to Moscow.
Coach Tutberidze doesn't understand the criticism
After the Beijing Games ended, Tutberidze said on Instagram that she did not understand the criticism being leveled at her, particularly by Bach.
Tutberidze indirectly responded to Bach's comments by commenting on a post supporting her from fellow Russian coach Alex Zhulin.
"I am very grateful for the words of support," she wrote, as translated by Eurosport. "I am still at a loss from the assessment of our work by the esteemed Mr. Bach."
As the Games concluded on Sunday, Tutberidze took to her own Instagram to reflect on Valieva's time in Beijing.
The teenager starred as the ROC won the figure skating team event. However, her games then descended into chaos shortly afterwards when it was revealed that she had tested positive for a banned substance while competing in December.
"Kamila Valieva, Olympic champion in team competitions, our star," Tutberidze wrote of Valieva, as translated by Inside the Games.
"Very fragile and at the same time a very strong athlete."