Russian figure skater claims her failed drugs test could have been caused by a STRAWBERRY DESSERT – with one of her grandfather’s pills dropped in – but is still banned for four years for doping

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has claimed a strawberry dessert may have been the cause of her failed drug test at the 2022 Beijing Olympics – after she claimed her grandfather’s heart medication had been dripped into it.

The Court of Arbitration (CAS) rejected the bizarre statement after it published a 129-page ruling to explain its ruling as it upheld Valieva’s four-year ban imposed last week.

Valieva‘S doping case at the age of 15 stunned the 2022 Beijing Olympics, which helped Russia win the team competition at the Games two years ago, becoming the first woman in Olympic history to perform a quadruple jump.

However, just hours later it emerged that she had tested positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine (TMZ) in December 2021, and no medals were awarded, meaning her result is now disqualified.

After Russia’s Anti-Doping Agency cleared Valieva in an investigation, the CAS challenged the decision and found her guilty of an offense last month.

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva claimed her failed drug test could have been caused by a strawberry dessert

The word ‘strawberry’ was used 43 times The judges’ 129-page ruling explaining why they rejected the argument

The word “strawberry” appears 43 times in the document detailing why the justices rejected the argument.

Valieva’s lawyers claimed her grandfather could have “accidentally dropped a pill” into the dessert he was making and that there may have been crushed remains of a (trimetazidine) tablet on the cutting board he was using.

“There are too many deficiencies in the evidence and too many unanswered questions for the panel to decide that her story is more likely than not,” the judges wrote.

Valieva tested positive for the banned heart medication in a sample taken during the Russian Championships in December 201, but the results were not returned from the Swedish laboratory until six weeks later, halfway through the competition.

Valieva pictured with Russian President Vladimir Putin during an awards ceremony for the 2022 Games

Valieva – who won gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics – tested positive for the banned heart drug in a sample given at the Russian Championships in December 2021

Athletes can avoid the penalty for a positive test if they can prove that they were not at fault for using the substance in question.

There is no other evidence – other than his own allegation – that he can provide regarding this allegation,” the ruling said. “There is also no evidence – other than his own claim – that he was using TMZ at the time.”

The CAS judges have accepted an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency asking for a four-year ban and disqualification from her results after a Russian tribunal cleared Valieva of guilt.

The Russian team was stripped of its Olympic title by the International Skating Union, which declared the United States the champions. Japan was upgraded from bronze to silver and the Russians were demoted to bronze after Valieva’s scores were removed.