Valieva Tumbles to 4th as Russian Teammate Shcherbakova Wins Figure Skating Gold

Kamila Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee competes in the women's free skating program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing on Feb. 17, 2022. Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

BEIJING—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 at the Beijing Olympic 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 Kaori Sakamoto of Japan claimed the bronze medal.