Russian Olympics Committee figure skater Kamila Valieva, 15, failed to medal in her free skate on February. 17, with a few disastrous falls, and U.S. Figure Skater Adam Rippon is responding to the mess. “What a s–t show omg,” he wrote on Twitter following the news on Thursday. Adam has openly expressed his chagrin for the Russian skater ever since she was granted approval to continue to compete in the Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance.
What a shit show omg
— Adam Rippon (@AdamRippon) February 17, 2022
Adam wasn’t the only one who had a comment on the situation. Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir were also quick to comment when the Russian skater failed to medal and finished fourth in her performance.
“There will be a gold, silver, and a bronze medal in the women’s event in Beijing,” co-commentator Terry Gannon said, to which Johnny responded, “Thank god.” Tara chimed in to say, “Thank goodness for all the other medalists to have that moment, and to have done it cleanly.”
If Kamila had earned her medal, there still would have not been a podium ceremony due to her doping scandal. The gold medal prize ultimately went to her teammate, Anna Scherbakova, while Alexandra Trusova, also of the ROC, took home silver. Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto won the bronze over Kamila.
Although many have ultimately expressed their compassion for the teen’s heartbreaking tumbles, Adam’s tweets still reflect the contempt many skaters — and other athletes in general — have expressed for the teenager’s participation in the Olympics despite her drug scandal. Adam previously tweeted “disgrace” following Kamila’s performance at the short program.
Tara and Johnny also expressed their displeasure at Kamila competing during their NBC News commentary of her skate. While Kamila was warming up, Tara, 39, said, “To be honest, I almost don’t believe what I’m seeing. Seeing her on Olympic ice right now with everything we’ve discovered over the last week. I did not think this was going to happen and I don’t think it should be happening.” Tara and Johnny also essentially stayed completely silent when Kamila skated. “All I feel like I can say is that was the short program of Kamila Valieva at the Olympics,” Johnny, 37, said, while Tara added, “She had a positive test. We should not have seen this skate.”