Team USA receives Olympic gold medal 2 years after Beijing Games after Russian skater banned
Team USA says it is receiving an Olympic gold medal for a team skating event – two years after the Winter Games in Beijing. The team is being awarded the medal after Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva received a four-year ban for taking a banned substance.
Team USA shared the news on social media late Monday night after news of Valieva's ban was announced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Valieva's ban is effective from December 2021 – when she failed the drug test ahead of the Olympics – to 2025 and she is being stripped of any awards she earned since late 2021.
Valieva tested positive for a banned drug, trimetazidine, but the court ruled the then-15-year-old could still compete in the Beijing Games as it investigated, which it said would take months. She went on to help the Russian Olympic Committee clinch gold in the team event, but the International Olympic Committee said it would not hold a podium ceremony to award the team its medal.
The U.S. earned silver in the event and Japan got bronze.
In a statement following the news of Valieva's suspension on Monday, the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics Committee said the decision was one it had been "eagerly awaiting for two years," commending the Team USA athletes for their work during the 2022 games.
"We now anticipate the day when we can wholeheartedly celebrate these athletes, along with their peers from around the world," the committee said. "Their moment is approaching, and when it arrives, it will serve as a testament to the justice and recognition they truly deserve."
And later that day, it became official. Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou became the first U.S. Olympic figure skating team to earn gold in the history of the games, according to Team USA.
