Valieva’s doping test found three drugs to improve heart function

In the doping test of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, three substances were found to improve heart function. This was reported by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). According to The New York Times, these drugs in combination can be aimed at increasing endurance.

According to the head of the organization, Travis Tygart, a doping test of a 15-year-old athlete found trimetazidine, L-carnitine and hypoxen. Of these, only trimetazidine is included in the list of drugs prohibited for athletes.

This is a triple combination of substances, two of which are allowed and one is not. They appear to be aimed at increasing endurance, reducing fatigue, and increasing oxygen efficiency.

Travis Tygarthead of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)

Three drug combination

Sports doctor Valentin Belyaevsky criticized Tygart’s assumption. According to him, the combination of trimetazidine with other drugs does not make sense.

The use of hypoxen and L-carnitine in sports medicine is quite common. This is one of the most, one might say, popular substances. But hypoxen is no longer used right now, it is an old Soviet drug, it is useless

Valentin Belyaevskysports doctor

He explained that L-carnitine is a popular supplement for athletes that does not affect performance. “You can even drink liters of it, nothing will happen,” the specialist noted. Hypoxen he called “junk, which was used in the 90s.”

If some athlete tells me that he uses hypoxen, then this is an indicator that some 60-year-old coach advised him. It does not work at all, there are no clinical studies on the drug, you can eat it in batches – it’s useless. I haven’t heard of it being combined with anything, especially trimetazidine.

Valentin Belyaevskysports doctor

How could the substance enter the body?

Clinical pharmacologist and pathologist Alexander Ediger listed three versions of how trimetazidine could get into Valieva’s body.

The first version is that the suspect ate substance X on purpose, someone prescribed it to him, forced or convinced him. Version two – the suspect ate drug X unintentionally, that is, by accident. This is a situation when he did not know that it was drug X. The third version is that no one knew about this drug X

Alexander Edigerclinical pharmacologist and pathologist

In the latter case, according to the doctor, there could have been a so-called random situation, when the prohibited drug was in the form of impurities in the composition of some kind of food product or some kind of medicine that the suspect uses.

Ediger doubts that the athlete could have tasted grandfather’s pills or ate with him from the same dish, in which trimetazidine somehow ended up.

The head of the disciplinary commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Denis Oswald, also earlier said that trimetazidine was in the body of 15-year-old Valieva through a product that her grandfather used.

However, the organization questioned this version, citing the fact that Oswald was not present at the meeting of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and was forced to operate with data that he gleaned from the press.

Valieva’s condition

15-year-old Russian figure skater for the first time commented on the situation around a dubious doping test. She admitted that the last days have become very difficult for her.

I don’t have enough emotions anymore, I’m happy, but at the same time I’m emotionally tired. Therefore, tears of happiness and a little grief. At the same time, I am certainly happy to be at the Olympic Games and try to represent our country.

Kamila ValievaRussian figure skater

She said that she was afraid to be alone, facing a difficult situation, but in the end she met with great support. The athlete expressed her gratitude to the coaches, colleagues, in particular, Russian figure skater Mark Kondratyuk, as well as to her fans.

When I open Instagram, I see how many good wishes and how much faith. I even saw billboards in Moscow “Kamila, we are with you!”. It is very nice. And in such a difficult time, this support is very important to me.

Kamila ValievaRussian figure skater

On February 14, the IOC refused to hold the awards ceremony for the winners of the figure skating team tournament, where the Russian team took first place. The committee said that they would also refuse to award medals based on the results of the individual tournament, if Valieva is among the winners.

On the same day, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) allowed Valieva to participate in the Beijing Olympics. The athlete is in the lead after the short program in the individual figure skaters’ tournament. For her rental, the 15-year-old athlete received 82.16 points.

In second place is another Russian Anna Shcherbakova with 80.20 points. Third place went to Japanese Kaori Sakamoto with 79.84 points. Alexandra Trusova finished fourth with 74.60 points.