Russia’s quad-jumping prodigy and Olympic team contender Kamila Valieva may be allowed to perform alongside senior teammates at pre-season test skating event in Moscow.
The president of the Russian figure skating federation, Alexander Gorshkov, said that Valieva’s level of skating allows her to compete against the more experienced athletes who’ve dominated women’s skating over the past years.
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“We’ve been thinking about it. Her level of skating is so high that it’s wise to give her an opportunity to compete with senior skaters. Such a scenario will be possible only for Kamila,” Gorshkov said.
The 14-year-old, who’s still not age eligible to perform at senior level, is widely considered one of the main contenders to scoop gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
The quad-jumping star, whose pencil-straight lines and artistic choreography is akin to that of a ballerina, mesmerized figure skating pundits last season with her Picasso-inspired ‘Girl on the ball’ routine.
The artist’s granddaughter, Diana Widmaier Picasso, was so impressed by Valieva’s routine that she invited the skater to visit Paris to meet her.
Valieva, who has been trained by the famed coach Eteri Tutberidze, won all the major events she entered last season, including the Junior Grand Prix Final and the World Junior Championships.
