FIGURE SKATERS FINALLY STAND ON THE PODIUM

US and Japan get gold and silver long after Beijing 2022 in wake of Valieva doping saga

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Two-and-a-half years after competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics, American and Japanese figure skaters stepped onto the podium in Paris on Aug 7 to receive reallocated gold and silver medals, drawing a line under a Russian doping saga that rocked those Games.

Against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, the American figure skating team finally experienced the golden moment they were denied in Beijing where it emerged that Kamila Valieva, the 15-yearold who had helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to gold in the team event, had tested positive for a banned drug.

"It's almost surreal. We got our medals, and I turned around and I saw the Eiffel Tower, and I was just blown away," said ice dancer Madison Chock, who partners Evan Bates. "It took my breath away" The ceremony took place at Champions Park, a venue set up in Trocadero Gardens, facing the iconic tower, where athletes can celebrate their medals on stage with fans.

Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned drug that prevents angina, at the Russian national championships in December 2021 in the run-up to Beijing.