Ilia Averbukh: “Kamila Valieva has everything to show in four years that she is worthy of the Olympic champion title.”
Interview with Ilia Averbukh about Kamila Valieva and Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov.
source: ural.kp.ru dd. 2d March 2022 by Tatiana Samoilova
You went to the 2022 Olympic Games as a commentator, you saw everything with your own eyes. What do you think, if not a scandal with the doping test of Kamila Valieva, what would be the placement of our girls?
Ilia Averbukh: Yes, I was at the Beijing Olympics. Olympics left mixed feelings. Sport does not tolerate subjunctive moods. I think it is foolish to make such predictions. Undoubtedly, Kamila Valieva is a brilliant, gifted young girl. Thanks to her hard work and God-sent talent, she has been given the opportunity to show everything that can be shown. She is incomparable and perfect on the ice. Of course, this nervous situation could not but affect her performance. But sport is always unpredictable and the strongest win in everything. I believe that Anya Shcherbakova became an Olympic champion absolutely rightfully and deservedly, having passed the most difficult sports path. Therefore, once again I congratulate Anya Shcherbakova and Sasha Trusova, who lacked just a little. Well, Kamila Valieva is a 15-year-old girl, and she has everything to show in four years that she is worthy of the title of Olympic champion. I think we can put an end here. We need to support Kamila in those trials that she has to go through, because the doping scandal has not disappeared anywhere and, of course, the proceedings will still continue. But I wish Kamila that all this ends as soon as possible, and that there are as few sanctions as possible in relation to our talented skater.
What do you think about the performance of Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, who won silver in ice dance, losing to the French? Many say that they were more worthy than their rivals.
Ilia Averbukh: Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov performed brilliantly at the Olympic Games, especially in the individual competitions. In the team event, they also made a great contribution to our victory. They were a little unlucky that in their sporting age they had to compete with such a unique French pair (Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron). Vika and Nikita showed the maximum of their abilities and won their silver medal.
Related topics: Ilia Averbuk, Kamila Valieva, Olympic Games, Victoria Sinitsina Nikita Katsalapov
Since they are Russians, they cannot compete anymore. And doping has to stop to be fair with the other athletes. Nobody believes in the alibi with grandpa’s medicines. Tell
that to the marines.
She had 3 heart substances, 1 banned, 1 trying to get on the banned list. What is a healthy teenager messing with 3 heart substances. All 3 accidentally contracted from her grandfather? She is talented, but had 3 unfair advantages over her fellow skaters. Where is the penalty? Does she deserve the Gold, even though she cheated? Of course, it was not her, but her coaches. But, is it fair for the others?
Even though Kamila Valieva is the greatest skater ever, her career will be over in about 2 years. That is the Eteri expiary date.
Kamila is the best ever!
Using drugs has NO place in sports! Period. If the young lady at fifteen did not know that, at 19 when the next Winter Olympics come round, perhaps she will. If she continues to use drugs to boost her performance, she deserves what she gets. Nothing more. She should have been disqualified in these games. What she did, whether knowingly or not was wrong. She broke the rules and rule breakers deserve nothing. Period.
She is not worthy if she took drugs. No question in my mind she did. She knew it was wrong as well as her coaching staff. She should not of competed, if this was any other country she would of been disqualified but because they are scared to say anything. Every athletes and coaches understand the rules. she is 15 and understands right from wrong when she took pills to help her train harder and longer. She knew she was taken meds when she had no underlying health issues. She knew this in her statements about the mix up with her grandfather’s drug, they need a better excuse. Shame on them for taken this away from the athletes that don’t cheat.