More than two years after losing gold medals due to an opponent's doping use, the U.S. Olympic figure skating team has finally received its trophy.
Figure skaters from the United States and Japan took to the podium at Champions Park in Paris on Wednesday to accept their gold and silver medals, which they earned at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
At the time, Russia took gold in the event, largely due to the help of 15-year-old Kamila Valieva, who became the first woman to land a quadruple jump at the Olympics.
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Kamila Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee reacts in the women's team free skate program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
However, Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine (a banned drug that prevents angina) at the Russian national championships in December 2021, and the test results were not made public until the day after the team final in Beijing. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) then ruled that no medals would be officially awarded for the team figure skating event until Valieva's case was resolved.
Olympic athletes had to wait almost two years to find out what medal they would receive.
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The team posted a statement on Instagram on February 2, 2023, saying its athletes were “deeply frustrated by the lack of a final decision in the team event.”
“They have long deserved the recognition that has been denied them due to the ongoing process,” the statement continued. “US Figure Skating demands a fair and appropriate decision to legitimately award medals to all clean sport athletes affected by this situation.”
Nathan Chen of Team USA reacts in the men's singles skating short program team event during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on February 4, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Elsa/Getty Images)
It wasn't until last January that Valieva was found guilty of committing an anti-doping rule violation, stripping the ROC of its gold medal at the event. The International Skating Union demoted the Russian team from gold to bronze after Valieva's disqualification, while the United States was moved up from gold to silver and Japan was moved up from bronze to silver.
They then had to wait another seven months to actually be able to take part in the official medal ceremony, which was already almost two years overdue at that point.
Members of the U.S. Olympic figure skating team pose for a photo after receiving gold medals following Team Russia's disqualification for doping after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Champions Park in Paris. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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But this week, all Americans were able to celebrate their well-deserved medals.
Madison Chock, Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Zachary Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim and Vincent Zhou were able to attend the revised medal ceremony in Paris on Wednesday in front of 13,000 cheering fans.
“It's almost surreal. We received our medals, I turned around and saw the Eiffel Tower. I was stunned,” Chock said at the event. “It took my breath away.”
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