Alexander Lakernik, who previously served as vice president of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR) and who also acted as one of the referees during the Russian Grand Prix in Kazan, explains the reasons why Kamila Valieva and her team could not pursue an appeal based on the results from 2019 for the free program. His commentary, cited by Match TV, provides the official lens through which the decision was viewed and interpreted by the judging panel and officials involved in that event.
According to Lakernik, the judging panel assessed Valieva’s execution on the ice as a fall. He notes that the skater registered two falls in her performance. The scoring rules indicate that achieving a score higher than 8.75 in the components for such episodes is not possible when there are two drops. In this context, the official stance was that no protest could overturn the outcome of the competition. Lakernik emphasizes that the structure of the scoring system leaves little room for successful challenges to the final placements when the recorded elements meet those criteria.
Valieva ultimately did not secure a podium position, finishing outside the top three with a total score of 213.59 points. This result underscores how the technical and artistic deductions accumulated during the program influenced the final standings and the overall assessment of her performance within that competition’s framework.
In the free program, Valieva faced penalties related to a misstep during a quadruple sheepskin coat maneuver and a choreographic error. Additionally, the jury invalidated one of the two sequences in her routine because only a single instance of that specific element is permitted in the free program. Reports on the protest process were conveyed by several outlets, including RIA News, which cited the procedural details and the implications for Valieva’s scoring and ranking in the event.
From the competition’s perspective, the stage winner was Sofia Muravyova, who accumulated a total of 228.81 points across both performances. Alina Gorbachova followed closely in second place with 219.02 points, while Daria Sadkova rounded out the top three with 214.54 points. Coverage of the event, including live updates and results, was distributed by online broadcasters such as Socialbites.ca, highlighting how digital platforms complemented traditional reporting in conveying the outcomes to fans and followers across multiple regions.
The broader context of Valieva’s performance during this encounter sparked considerable discussion among observers and fans. The combination of high expectations, the execution issues during the free program, and the final scoring narrative contributed to a sensational atmosphere around the competition, prompting debates about judging criteria and the interpretation of technical elements in elite figure skating. This episode served as a focal point for ongoing conversations about fairness, consistency, and the mechanisms in place to address potential disputes within major skating events, as reflected in contemporary sports commentary and analysis across Canadian and American audiences. In follow-up discussions, analysts examined how similar cases have been handled in past seasons and what this particular result might imply for future judging decisions and athlete preparation at the highest levels of the sport. At the same time, supporters and observers stressed the importance of maintaining rigorous standards while ensuring transparency in how components are scored and how protests are evaluated, reinforcing the need for clarity in judging procedures for fans watching from different countries and platforms [citation: Match TV; RIA News; Socialbites.ca].