BEIJING, China — As American audiences watch women’s figure skating this week, the two voices they will hear are that of Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski and two-time Olympian Johnny Weir. Their commentary may be more intense as Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva returns to competition after a doping scandal.
A court has allowed Valieva to compete in the women’s figure skating event following the revelation last week of a positive test for a banned substance from December. But, there will be no medal ceremony for the event if she finishes in the top three — and she is the favorite to win gold.
Ahead of Tuesday’s women’s short program, both Lipinksi and Weir made it clear they felt Valieva, 15, should not compete.
“In my opinion, she should not be skating in this competition. And we have to remind ourselves that she is just 15 years old, a minor,” said Lipinski Tuesday night. She won the gold at 15. “A positive test is a positive test. She cannot skate.”
Weir concurred.
“If you can’t play fair, then you can’t play. And it is a shame because she is a tremendous athlete,” he said.
The pair have been calling the sport together since the 2014 Olympics in Sochi and fans embraced them immediately. Along with sportscaster Terry Gannon, they quickly moved up and became NBC’s main commentating team for figure skating.
In addition to their spot-on and frank figure skating analysis, they are also known for bringing the fashion, complete with bedazzled microphones. And they share their adventures on a joint Instagram account.
Here are the answers to some questions people have been Googling about them.
Who is Tara Lipinski?
Tara Lipinski won the women’s figure skating gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano Japan.
Who is Johnny Weir?
Johnny Weir is a two-time Olympian, three-time U.S. men’s figure skating champion and the 2008 world bronze medalist.
How old was Tara Lipinski when she won the gold medal?
15 years, 255 days. At the time, Lipinski was the youngest individual event winner in Winter Olympics history.
She’s not, however, the youngest gold medalist. That belongs to Kim Yun-Mi of South Korea, who won the gold in 1994 in the women’s short track 3,000-meter relay — a team event — at the age of 13 years, 86 days.
Who is Tara Lipinski married to?
She’s married to sports producer Todd Kapostasy. The couple tied the knot in 2017.
Lipinski and Kapostasy are co-executive producers for the documentary “Meddling,” looking at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics pairs figure skating scandal.