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(CNN) --
After the skaters completed their routines, Russia's Kamila Valieva finished the short program routine in first place.
Valieva is now the overwhelming favorite to win the gold medal in the long program (final) of figure skating on Thursday.
Valieva's final score of 82.16 points comfortably tops that of her fellow Russian Olympic Committee member Anna Shcherbakova, who is second with 80.20 points.
Japan's Kaori Sakamoto is in third place with a score of 79.84.
Valieva's tears in the midst of sports controversy
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva cries after finishing her routine in the figure skating singles short program.
(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)
There were tears from Kamila Valieva as she completed her impressive routine.
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She had a bit of a stumble on her first jump, a triple Axel, but held her own until the end to earn the best score in the women's short program.
The 15-year-old was authorized on Monday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS for its French acronym) to compete in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics after being at the center of a doping scandal.
Finishing his routine, "he walked past all the reporters, including the Russians, and left the mixed zone. He looked very solemn and didn't speak to anyone or look at anyone," CNN staff at the stadium reported.
The case of Kamila Valieva
Kamila Valieva tested positive for doping during the Russian Figure Skating Championships in Saint Petersburg on December 25.
But a Swedish laboratory did not report the results until February 8, a day after the Russian Olympic Committee team won gold at the Beijing 2022 event, according to the International Testing Agency (ITA).
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Valieva immediately received a provisional suspension from RUSADA, which automatically bars athletes from participating in all sports.
The skater challenged the suspension on February 9, and at a hearing that same day, RUSADA lifted the provisional suspension, allowing her to continue competing in the Olympics, according to the ITA.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Skating Union (ISU) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) asked the CAS to reinstate the suspension that Valieva received from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) for a doping offense related to a test carried out in December.
However, the CAS authorized Valieva to continue competing in the Olympics.
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva receives clearance to compete at the Beijing Olympics
Responding to the controversy, the Russian Olympic Committee said on Friday that Kamila Valieva had "repeatedly passed doping tests" while already in Beijing, adding that it is taking steps to keep Valieva's "honestly earned" gold.
"The doping test of an athlete who tested positive does not apply to the period of the Olympic Games. At the same time, the athlete passed doping tests several times before and after December 25, 2021, even when she was already in Beijing. during the figure skating tournament. All results are negative," the Russian Olympic Committee statement said.
And what about what Valieva has already won and what she can still win in Beijing?
The CAS ruling only determined whether the figure skater can compete in Beijing, leaving the question of the gold medal in the team event to be decided at a later date, IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters on Monday.
"(The medals) won't be resolved with this decision. That probably won't be resolved during these Games," Adams told reporters.
Referring to the future of Kamila Valieva before the announcement of the CAS decision, Adams said that the case against her will continue because she does not confirm or refute the doping charge and there will be an "ongoing procedure".
With information from Simone McCarthy.
Beijing 2022 Olympics Kamila Valieva