If history is any judge, this could be the last of Kamila Valieva on an Olympic stage

Crushing scenes of Kamila Valieva, in tears Thursday after a disastrous long program that took her out of medal contention, might be the last image Olympics fans will have of the talented Russian figure skater.

At age 15, Valieva could already be on the downside of her career — doping scandal aside — as she leaves Beijing and is a long shot for another Winter Games appearance, in Italy in 2026.

The nation’s powerful figure skating program cycles through talent like no other, with these Beijing Games marking the fourth straight Russian women’s team with no Olympic veterans.

Kamila Valieva of Team ROC after skating during the Women Single Skating Free Skating on day thirteen of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 17, 2022 in Beijing.Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

In modern figure skating, where a premium is often put on lighter weight athletes with maximum strength, even a teen like Valieva could be hard pressed to stay ahead of younger competitors.

“This is a mill, this is a system where you put in lots of input into the beginning and then it becomes a Darwinist nightmare with survival of the fittest,” said professor Peter Donnelly, director of the University of Toronto’s Center for Sport Policy.

“I think it’s unlikely (Valieva becomes a repeat Olympian), especially with the mental trauma she’s gone through in the last few days.”

In contrast to Russia’s one-and-done pattern, US competitor Karen Chen, who finished 16th on Thursday, is returner from 2018.

And 2018 American Olympian Mirai Nagasu was a veteran from the ancient games of 2010.

“Within the world of figure skating (in Russia) it is incredibly competitive,” said University of California, San Diego professor Robert Edelman, who specializes in Russian history and the nation’s sports culture.

“It’s not just a few people whose parents are wealthy enough for the lessons and rink time. That’s the world we live in.”

Valieva had been the heavy favourite to win individual gold in Beijing.

The teen sensation led her Russia to a team gold less than two weeks ago and was being Hailed as one of the greatest ever.

But then it emerged just last week that Valieva tested positive for a banned heart medication in late December when she handily won the Russian national championship.

Trimetazidine is the generic of a French medication typically prescribed to much older patients suffering from angina. the medication could help blood flow to the heartand Valieva’s eligibility to compete was thrown into doubt.

The revelation came after Valieva soared to first place after the short program. She was cleared to participate by a world sports arbitration body on Mondayraising expectations that Russians would take all three medals.

Valieva, gold medalist Anna Shcherbakova and runner up Alexandra Trusova stick late-program quad jumps with seemingly no effort — that wasn’t the case even one Olympic cycle ago.

Russia’s Alina Zagitova was just 15 when she struck gold in 2018, landing triple-triple jump combinations that were impressive for the time, but pale in comparison to multiple quads some top women land in their free programs.

Gold medalist Russia’s Alina Zagitova celebrates on the podium during the venue ceremony after the women’s single skating free skating of the figure skating event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 23, 2018.Aris Messinis / AFP via Getty Images file

It’d be a difficult challenge for any of Russia’s top three women in Beijing to come back for 2026 and hold off coach Eteri Tutberidze’s up-and-coming students.

one of them, Adelila Petrosian14, has already wowed the judges and could become the next young starlet to head the future Russian women’s team.

Beyond the physical challenges of launching these quadsthe mental toll for reaching the Olympics is almost too much to bear, even once.

“This is a moment where you genuinely have to say — that poor kid,” former US Olympian Ashley Wagner tweeted moments after Valieva’s crash in Beijing.

“She should not have ever been put in this position. She shouldn’t have been out on that ice, she shouldn’t have been put in a position where she became the face of a problem bigger than her.”

The pressure faced by Russian skaters to perform cannot be understated.

Rink-side cameras captured the moments after an emotionally devastated Valieva left the ice and the famously hard-driving Tutberidze offered no immediate comfort.

Valieva bobbled on a triple axel a short time into her routine before hitting the ice twice — on a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination and then again another quad toe loop.

“Why did you let it go? Why did you stop fighting?” Tutberidze said to her saddened student. “After the axel, you let it go.”

Shamar Walters contributed.

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