Kamila Valieva's coach called the 15-year-old Russian Olympic skater 'very fragile' but a 'very strong athlete'

Controversial coach Eteri Tutberidze made the comments in an Instagram post on Monday where she also described the 15-year-old Olympian as "our star."

• Eteri Tutberidze described Russia's Kamila Valieva as "very fragile" but a "very strong athlete."
• Valieva was embroiled in a doping scandal while competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
• The 15-year-old frontrunner failed to win an individual medal in Beijing amidst worldwide scrutiny.

The coach of Russian Olympic Committee figure skater Kamila Valieva called the teen — whose doping scandal roiled the Beijing Winter Olympics — "very fragile" but a "very strong athlete."

Coach Eteri Tutberidze made the comment in an Instagram post on Monday where she also described the 15-year-old Olympian as "our star," according to a translation from Inside the Games.

A post shared by Eteri Tutberidze (@tutberidze.eteri)

Tutberidze came under fire last week for her behavior after Valieva failed to medal in the Olympic women's singles skating event. Valieva burst into tears following the Thursday free skate event and Tutberidze came down on the teen instead of offering her words of encouragement in a scene that was captured on camera. 

"Why did you stop fighting? Explain it to me — why?" Tutberidze asked Valieva as she exited the rink. "You let it go after that axel. Why?"

The teen superstar, who finished in fourth place, did not respond to her coach. As her scores were announced, the star buried her head in her hands and sobbed.

Valieva's eligibility to compete at the games came under question during the Beijing Olympics after news emerged that she'd failed a drug test in December. She tested positive for trimetazidine, a drug the World Anti-Doping Agency categorizes as a "hormone and metabolic modulator," according to The Associated Press.

When taken without proper cause, the drug can bolster endurance and improve circulation. Both effects could give a high-level figure skater a competitive advantage.

Many close to the sport slammed the decision to allow Valieva to compete, especially after multiple outlets reported that she had tested positive for two additional heart drugs in the December 25 sample she provided.

Only trimetazidine has been banned from the Olympics, but the other two — hypoxen and L-carnatine — have raised concerns from anti-doping officials and called into question Valieva's excuse that she'd mixed up her medications.

Valieva's mother and coach insisted she was taking the drugs for "heart variations," but anti-doping officials have said that it is highly unlikely such a young, elite athlete would be taking this combination of drugs. 

Major figures in the skating world haven't placed blame for the scandal on Valieva's shoulders and instead have suggested that the adults in her life should have been responsible for protecting her.

Tutberidze has been scrutinized for years over her training methods with young Russian skaters, Gabrielle Paluch previously reported for Insider. Prominent coaches have gone so far as to refer to Tutberidze's athletes as "disposable" or "perishable goods."

Some have referred to the "Eteri expiration date" — the time when, around age 17, her athletes are often forced to retire because of injury or diminishing results.

Critics have also accused the 47-year-old of trading her athletes' health for medals for their country.

For most of the past decade, Tutberidze's rink in Moscow has churned out countless young female champions.

Her athletes win by performing difficult jumps such as quads — which are worth roughly double the points of a triple, making skaters who land them nearly impossible to beat — but burn out dramatically as they go through puberty.

Valieva will be 19 years old by the time the next Games come in 2026.