:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/VTMGMV4JGNBJYHTMMA6FEAPBY4.jpg "Cross country skier from Ukraine is third doping case at Beijing 2022")
BEIJING — Cross country skier Valentyna Kaminska of Ukraine, a three-time Olympian, has tested positive for an anabolic steroid and two stimulants and has been provisionally suspended, the International Testing Agency (ITA) announced.
The 34-year-old tested positive on February 10 in Zhangjiakou following the women’s 10km classic, in which she finished 79th. The adverse finding was reported by the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Beijing on February 17.
Kaminska also competed on February 8, placing 70th in the women’s sprint free qualification and was part of Ukraine’s team that finished 18th on February 12 in the women’s 4 x 5km relay.
She competed for Belarus in 2014 and 2018, with her best individual finish 45th in the 30km classic mass start in PyeongChang 2018. Kaminska changed her nationality from Belarus to Ukraine in 2018.
Kaminska is the second athlete to test positive during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the third to be involved in a doping case. Alpine skier Hussein Saveh Shemshaki of Iran tested positive for an anabolic steroid during an out-of-competition test on February 7.
The other case, of course, is Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skater who tested positive for a banned heart medication on December 25, but the result was not reported until February 8.
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/LQLMYFMPVWBOHWH7R55DXCXPOM.jpg 420w "Cross country skier from Ukraine is third doping case at Beijing 2022 1")
Nordic Skiing – FIS Nordic World Ski Championships – Oberstdorf, Germany – March 2, 2021 Ukraine’s Valentyna Kaminska at the finish line of the Women’s 10km Free
According to the ITA, Kaminska’s “A” sample included the non-specified prohibited substance mesterolone metabolite 3α-hydroxy-1α-methyl-5α-androstan-17-one (classified as S1. Anabolic Androgenic Steroid) and the specified prohibited substances 5-methylhexan-2-amine and heptaminol (classified as S6. Stimulants according to the Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Kaminska has been informed of the result. The provisional suspension means she is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity during the remainder of the Beijing Games.
She does have the right to challenge the provisional suspension before the Court of Arbitration for Sport – Anti-Doping Division, and also has the right to request the analysis of the B-sample.
In an article in Athlete in December 2021, Kaminska said her ambition is “to improve herself and to achieve the highest results in sports.” She also said she liked the Japanese saying, “Fall seven times, get up eight times.”