After a nearly four-year hiatus, Kamila Valieva is ready to return to competition. She will now train under the guidance of Svetlana Sokolovskaya. Tatyana Navka was the first to announce the athlete's decision, noting that the academy is already looking forward to welcoming Kamila Valieva and is ready to help her.
“Of course, this is wonderful news for our academy and ice palace. We are delighted,” the Olympic champion emphasized.
According to the athlete's entourage, full training will begin at the end of October. Valieva will be able to officially return to competition after December 25th, as her disqualification ends on that date. As a reminder, Kamila last competed in December 2023, when she won bronze at the Russian Championships, losing only to Adelia Petrosyan and Sofia Muravyova.
However, the decision to change coaches has sparked controversy. Tatyana Tarasova believes the skater is making a mistake.
“Athletes don't leave Eteri Georgievna. Because they stay with her to be the best in their sport. The coach she left for doesn't have that kind of experience,” the honored coach said.
Kamila Valieva's disqualification was related to a positive test for the banned substance trimetazidine. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in January 2024, imposing a four-year ban. The ban began in late 2021, when Valieva competed at the Beijing Olympics.
Despite the forced break, the figure skater remained in the public eye: she participated in ice shows, worked on social projects, and regularly communicated with RUSADA representatives. Agency director Veronika Loginova noted that Valieva meticulously clarified all the nuances of the anti-doping rules to avoid any mistakes upon her return to competition.
Despite her scandalous history, Kamila Valieva remains one of Russia's most promising figure skaters, experts say. Before her doping incident, she won gold at the European and Russian Championships.