’Tired’ Valieva to skate at Olympics after doping ruling

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was worn out after a grueling doping hearing ended with her being allowed to skate Tuesday in the women's short program at the Beijing Olympics.

The 15-year-old Valieva is the overwhelming favorite for the gold medal alongside Russian teammates Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova, who are aiming for the first sweep by any nation of the women's Olympic podium.

Valieva was cleared to skate even though she failed a drug test taken Dec. 25, the result only emerging last week, after her two brilliant performances in the team competition helped win gold for the Russian team. The Court of Arbitration for Sport gave her a favorable decision Monday in part because she is a minor, known as a "protected person," and is subject to different rules from an adult athlete.

Lawyers for Valieva also "brought some doubts about her guilt," veteran IOC member Denis Oswald said Tuesday, with their possible explanation of accidental rather than deliberate doping with the heart medication trimetazidine.

"Her argument was this contamination which happened with a product her grandfather was taking," Oswald, a Swiss lawyer who prosecuted previous Russian doping cases, told reporters.

Valieva, who practiced in both of her allotted sessions Monday, told Russian state broadcaster Channel One in comments shown that night: "These days have been very difficult for me. I'm happy but I'm tired emotionally."

There won't be a medal ceremony if Valieva finishes in the top three because the International Olympic Committee is concerned that she could still be banned after a full investigation of her doping case. The three-member court ruled only on whether she could skate at the Olympics and did not consider the full...