Don’t let Kamila Valieva’s slight frame, sequined dress, and lipstick fool you. The 15-year-old Russian figure skating phenom, like all the Olympic skaters American TV viewers woke up to Tuesday morning, is a strong, fearless, world-class athlete.
She is no porcelain doll. There isn’t a fragile bone in that petite body.
Anybody who has ever watched a skater train countless hours in a cold rink knows that. Anybody who has seen Valieva launch into the air at full speed and rotate four times in a tight spiral with her hands over her head knows that.
