‘Unbearable’: Olympic champion breaks down over treatment of teen

An Olympic champion has been brought to tears on air by the treatment of a teen skater at the centre of a doping scandal.

The doping scandal surrounding 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been the biggest controversy of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

While former American skaters and broadcasters seemingly took a stand on air against the teen this week, a former German skater has broken down in tears wishing she had more support.

On Monday Valieva was ruled eligible for the 2022 Olympics women’s singles competition after a positive drug test surfaced last week.

But the scandal didn’t go away.

Seemingly in protest of Valieva’s participation, the NBC broadcast was nearly silent while Valieva was on the ice on Wednesday, only offering a couple of comments on her performance.

“All I feel I can say is that was the short program of Kamila Valieva at the Olympics,” former American Olympic skater Johnny Weir said bluntly as Valieva bowed to the audience.

“She had a positive test. We should not have seen this skate,” Tara Lipinski, also a former Olympic skater, added.

She finished first in the short program with a score of 82.16.

However, it was a very different scene on Thursday. In a disastrous final performance, Valieva stunningly plummeted from gold-medal favourite to fourth place in the women’s free skate event.

Kamila Valieva falls in her final performance at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Picture: Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP

Valieva breaks down after the performance. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana / AFP

As Valieva’s low scores were announced, and it was clear that the International Olympic Committee’s plan to scrap the ceremony and withhold medals if she finished in the top three would not be needed, Weir exclaimed, “Thank God!”.

Two-time Olympic champion Katarina Witt, who was on German broadcaster ARD, had a very different reaction, saying what had happened was “the very worst”.

“It’s just unbearable,” she said, speaking in German.

“What has happened is exactly what she should have been protected from. She is 15. She’s a child.

“When you see her sitting there, shattered …”

Witt was so emotional she was unable to finish her sentence and asked for the camera to cut away.

Katarina Witt cries on air over the treatment of Valieva. Pictures: ARD, Catherine Ivill / Getty Images

“She was a shadow of herself when she went out there. She couldn’t win in this whole game,” Witt continued.

“I find that she has been thrown before the world to be devoured. The whole world was watching and then she broke.”

Witt said she wished someone responsible had sent her home away from the mess before the issue blew up.

Valieva was distraught after her error-ridden performance but Russian coach Eteri Tutberidze was seen demanding to know what had gone wrong as she came off the ice.

“Why did you let it go? Why did you let it go? Tell me,” Tutberidze could be heard saying.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said Friday it was “chilling” to see how Valieva’s coach treated the teenager.

“When I saw how she was received by the closest entourage with such a tremendous coolness, it was chilling to see this,” he said.

— with New York Post