Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Kamila Valieva

How Kamila Valieva built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Kamila Valieva is a Russian figure skater notable for her achievements, including winning the 2021 Rostelecom Cup, the 2021 Skate Canada title, the 2020 Junior World Championship, and the 2019-20 Junior Grand Prix Final. She also secured a silver medal at the 2021 Russian National Championships, solidifying her position as a prominent figure in the world of figure skating.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2009: Began Skating Career

Kamila Valieva began skating in 2009 in RSDUSSHOR in Kazan with her first coach, Ksenia Ivanova.

2018: Short Program inspired by Picasso's painting

In the 2018–19 season, recordings of Kamila Valieva's short program, set to Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt and inspired by Pablo Picasso's painting Girl on a Ball, received worldwide attention.

2018: Switched Skating Clubs

In the spring of 2018, Kamila Valieva switched skating clubs to Sambo-70 to train with Eteri Tutberidze.

August 2019: International Debut and Gold Medal

In August 2019, Kamila Valieva made her international debut at a Junior Grand Prix competition in Courchevel, France, where she won the gold medal and became the second female skater to land a quadruple toe loop in competition.

August 2019: Performs Quadruple Toe Loop at Junior Level

On 23 August 2019, at the junior level of the Grand Prix in France, Kamila Valieva performed a quadruple toe loop with a positive grade of execution (GOE), which made her the second woman to perform this jump in the history of figure skating at competitions under the auspices of the International Skating Union.

2019: Junior Grand Prix Champion

In 2019, Kamila Valieva became the 2019-20 Junior Grand Prix Final champion.

2019: Qualified to the 2019-20 Junior Grand Prix Final

With two gold medals in 2019, Kamila Valieva qualified in first place to the 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix Final in Turin, Italy.

October 2020: Performs Triple Axel in Training

On 18 October 2020, a video appeared on the Internet where Kamila Valieva performed a triple Axel with complication in training with two hands up.

December 2020: Cleanly Performs Triple Axel in Short Program

On 5 December 2020, Kamila Valieva cleanly performed the triple Axel in the short program at the stage of the Russian Cup in Moscow.

2020: Junior World Champion

In 2020, Kamila Valieva became the Junior World champion.

2020: World Junior Championship

In 2020, Kamila Valieva placed first in the short program ahead of Lee Hae-in and Usacheva, setting a new personal best and went on to win the title and became the new Junior World Champion, ahead of Usacheva and Liu.

2020: Victory at 2020 JGP Russia

One month later, at the 2020 JGP Russia, Kamila Valieva placed first in both programs with personal best scores to take the title.

February 2021: Performs Quadruple Salchow in Training

On 12 February 2021, a video appeared on the Internet where Kamila Valieva performed a quadruple Salchow in training with two hands up.

2021: International Senior Debut

In 2021, Kamila Valieva made her international senior debut at the CS Finlandia Trophy, placing third in the short program and setting world record scores in the free skate and total points.

2021: Grand Prix Debut and World Records

In 2021, Kamila Valieva made her senior Grand Prix debut at the Skate Canada International, winning the short program and setting new world records for the women's free skate and total score. She also won the 2021 Rostelecom Cup, raising the world records in the free skate and total score.

2021: Channel One Trophy and Russian Cup Final

In 2021, Kamila Valieva participated in the Channel One Trophy and the senior Russian Cup Final, winning both the short program and free skates in the Channel One Trophy and winning the overall event at the Russian Cup Final.

2021: Figure Skating Championships

In 2021, Kamila Valieva was the Rostelecom Cup champion and the Skate Canada champion and also won a silver medal at the Russian national championship.

January 2022: Russian and European Championships

In January 2022, Kamila Valieva placed first in the short program at the 2022 Russian Championships and made her European Championships debut in Tallinn, Estonia, finishing first in the short program and taking the European title.

February 2022: Valieva's Olympic Team Win Endorsed

In February 2022, her win for team Russia at the Beijing Olympics was endorsed as valid following her passing drug tests in Beijing.

October 2022: Valieva Continues Competing Domestically

In October 2022, despite Russia's ban from international skating events due to the invasion of Ukraine, Kamila Valieva continued to compete within Russia without hindrance from RUSADA.

2022: Participation in Russian Domestic Grand Prix series

During the 2022 Russian figure skating season, Kamila Valieva participated in domestic Grand Prix series after Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from international events. She won gold at the Golden Skate of Moscow despite falling on a quadruple toe loop. She also won gold at the Grand Prix stage in Kazan. She then competed at the Russian Championships held in Krasnoyarsk and finished second overall behind Sofia Akateva.

2022: Participation in 2022 Channel One Trophy

In 2022, Kamila Valieva participated in the Channel One Trophy, a Russian domestic competition. She performed a double axel instead of her usual triple axel in the short program, placing first with a score of 83.63. In free skating, she landed a quadruple toe loop and scored 173.88, finishing second behind Anna Shcherbakova.

2022: Winter Olympics and Doping Allegations

In 2022, Kamila Valieva participated in the Winter Olympics and initially placed first in the short program and women's free skate in the team event, but her results were later nullified due to doping allegations.

2024: Potential for Valieva to Participate in 2026 Winter Olympics

The eligibility of Russian athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics was reported by the Associated Press as allowing 15 Russian 'neutrals' to fully participate, potentially allowing for Valieva to participate at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

October 2025: Valieva Intends to Return to Competitive Figure Skating

On 1 October 2025, it was announced that Kamila Valieva intended to return to competitive figure skating. She left her longtime coaches to train under Svetlana Sokolovskaya at the Navka Arena.

January 2026: Valieva Listed as Participant in Russian Jumping Championship

On 19 January 2026, Kamila Valieva was listed as a participant in the Russian Jumping Championship for February 2026. Her previous teammate Alexandra Trusova was also listed to compete.

February 2026: Participation in Russian Jumping Championship

In February 2026, Kamila Valieva was listed as a participant in the Russian Jumping Championship.

March 2026: Valieva to Debut New Program at Channel One Cup

In March 2026, Kamila Valieva announced that she will debut one of her new programs at the Channel One Cup.

2026: Potential Eligibility for 2026 Winter Olympics

Although Kamila Valieva would technically be eligible for participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics following her four-year suspension, existing sporting sanctions against Russia may preclude her from participation unless lifted sufficiently early.