With Valieva cleared, Russian ‘Quad Squad’ out for sweep

By DAVE SKRETTA and SALLY HO
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — The biggest barrier between Russian figure skating star Kamila Valieva and another Olympic gold medal is no longer a panel of judges holed up in a Beijing hotel room. It’s now the teammates she practices with every day, Alexandra Trusova and world champion Anna Shcherbakova. Together, the trio coached by Eteri Tutberidze make up the “Quad Squad,” a group of teenage dynamos that are among the few women in the world capable of landing four-revolution jumps. And it’s precisely those high-flying, jaw-dropping jumps that could make them the first women to sweep the Olympic podium for their country. The trio swept the podium at the European championships last month with Valieva on top.