Former figure skater Adelina Sotnikova (27, Russia), who won the gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in a close call over Kim Yeon-ah, has sparked controversy by revealing that she tested positive for doping at the time.

“I tested positive for doping in 2014,” Sotnikova said in an interview on Russian influencer Lilia Abramova’s YouTube channel on June 6 (ET). “I had to take a second test, and fortunately, the second sample did not reveal any problems, so I was not disciplined.”

The interview was about Russian figure skater Kamila Valyeva, who was caught in a doping scandal during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Sotnikova was asked about the pressure she felt at the Olympics for being Russian, and she opened up about her own experience.

Sotnikova’s comments are making waves.

A positive doping test is enough to raise suspicions of drug use.

Notably, Sotnikova was accused of doping in 2016, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) investigated Russia’s systematic drug use.

Sotnikova was the subject of controversy in December 2016 when her urine sample was found to have been tampered with in the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of doping samples.

The Russian figure world has been quick to respond.

Alexander Kogan, secretary general of the Russian Figure Skating Federation, told Russian outlet Sportru that Sotnikova’s comments were “the first time I’ve heard such a story 메이저사이트추천. It’s not true.”

Sotnikova won the gold medal in the women’s singles figure skating event at the Sochi Winter Olympics after a controversial judging decision, defeating Kim Yeon-ah, who was trying to win her second straight Olympic title.

Sotnikova retired in 2018 after a lackluster post-Olympic career.