Russian teenage figure skater Kamila Valieva tumbled to fourth place in the women's singles event on Thursday, yielding to the pressure of a doping controversy that has rocked the Beijing Games.
In a final twist that ensures a medal ceremony will go ahead on Friday, Valieva's compatriots Anna Shcherbakova claimed the gold medal and Alexandra Trusova took the silver, while a beaming Kaori Sakamoto of Japan claimed the bronze medal.
But she then faltered after a triple Axel and made a number of uncharacteristic stumbles after that in a free skate routine set to Maurice Ravel's "Bolero". In the stands, loud cheers and applause had greeted Valieva's arrival on the ice, and her fans chanted her name after her stumble - while the camera shutters went into overdrive.
"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." "I’m glad I managed my nerves and worries and showed my maximum at the right time and place," said Shcherbakova, whose heart went out to Valieva.