Meagan Duhamel, a 2018 Olympic gold medalist, describes the controversy over figure skater Kamila Valieva’s failed drug test and subsequent backlash as “heartbreaking.” On Thursday, tears rolled down the cheeks of 15-year-old Valieva after she failed to medal — and fell and stumbled a handful of times — at the Olympic women’s free skate program. The moment came during a looming international conversation over the controversial decision to let her skate amid a doping scandal.
At first, the decision to allow Valieva to compete after testing positive for trimetazidine — a drug used to treat angina, or chest pain — sparked outrage in the Olympic community. Runner Sha’Carri Richardson — who was banned from competing at the Tokyo Olympics due to testing positive for marijuana — called out a double standard in Olympic sports. And Adam Rippon, a current coach, described…
