South Korea's leading figure skater Kim Yuna could be awarded the gold medal for her performance at the 2014 Sochi Olympics as gold medalist Adelina Sotnikova faces a doping investigation.
Sotnikova is one of the 28 Russian athletes whose urine samples were allegedly doctored during the 2014 Sochi Olympics. They are now facing an investigation from the International Olympic Committee, Korea Times reports.
The evidence against the Russian team is based on the information gathered by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren. It is said that one of the methods used to avoid getting caught was switching athlete's urine samples with clean ones before they got tested at a laboratory in Sochi.
If authorities find Sotnikova guilty of using prohibited drugs during the Olympcs, her gold medal will likely be passed on to Kim Yuna, who placed second and took home the silver medal.
Sotnikova's win was controversial to begin with. Many critics and experts questioned why she received five points more than Kim when many claimed that Sotnikova's skills were below par compared to Kim's. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Sotnikova has not won a single gold medal after the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
The 2014 Sochi Olympics was Kim Yuna's final performance before she decided to retire. Many fans, colleagues and experts were saddened by the announcement of Kim Yuna's early retirement at the age of 23.
"She took everything I said to heart," Kim's former choreographer David Wilson tells Japan Times. "Not one day was she ever rude to me or temperamental with me. She's an absolute dream to work with. She has so much integrity as a person."
Kim Yuna is one of the most decorated figure skaters in South Korea and the world, and is regarded by many as a transformative figure to the sport.