BEIJING, China — Two-time Olympian and NBC figure skating commentator Johnny Weir on Thursday thanked his and Tara Lipinski's viewers and described the women's free skate competition as "bizarre and heartbreaking."
Weir and Lipinski have spoken out several times about the Winter Olympics controversy surrounding Russian skater Kamila Valieva, 15, who failed a doping test before the Olympics but was ultimately allowed to compete in the women's individual event.
The two former Olympians said that they thought Valieva should not be allowed to compete while also acknowledging her young age and obvious talent. Lipinski, who won gold at age 15 at the 1998 Nagano Games, called it "a permanent scar on our sport."
On Thursday after the free skate, Weir posted a video to Twitter thanking his and Lipinski's viewers and reacting to the event.
"That was the most bizarre and heartbreaking event I've seen in my entire life, and I hope that it's never repeated," Weir said. "But thank you for supporting the skaters."
Valieva had a disastrous free skate that dropped her to fourth place and off the podium. In the minutes after the competition ended, gold-medal winner Anna Shcherbakova was left alone with no one to celebrate with. And silver medalist Aleksandra Trusova was visibly upset and angry with that result.
Watch Johnny Weir's reaction below:
Here were Lipinksi's and Weir's reactions after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Valieva could compete in the women's figure skating event while the investigation continued into her doping test:
“I strongly disagree with this decision. At the end of the day, there was a positive test and there is no question in my mind that she should not be allowed to compete. Regardless of age or timing of the test (and) results. I believe this will leave a permanent scar on our sport.” — 1998 Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski, now a figure skating analyst for NBC’s coverage of the Beijing Games.
"The Olympics has to be clean or it's not fair. If you won't play fair, then you can't play. It doesn't matter how old you are or the timing on when the test results come in. You have to be responsible for what happens to your body and to compete at the Olympics. This is a slap in the face to the Olympic Games, to our sport and to every athlete that has ever competed at the Olympics -- clean. It's hard to make it to the Olympics and anybody that will try to find the easy way out is in the wrong and should not be able to compete at the Olympics. — Two-time Olympian Johnny Weir, also a figure skating analyst for NBC.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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