Entertainment Sports Russian Figure Skater Says She Feels 'Emptiness' After Winning Gold at Beijing Olympics "I have mixed feelings," gold medalist Anna Shcherbakova told reporters after her Russian Olympic Committee teammate Kamila Valieva placed fourth following a doping scandal By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Glenn Garner is a form writer-reporter who worked heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. He left PEOPLE in 2023. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 19, 2022 12:01PM EST Skater Anna Shcherbakova competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images Anna Shcherbakova is filled with bittersweet emotions following her big victory. The Russian Olympic Committee figure skater, 17, who won gold Thursday at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, said she feels "this emptiness inside" after taking first place in the women's individual event. "It's hard to tell. I have mixed feelings — I was very happy to be in the right time and the right place," Shcherbakova told reporters. "This has been what I've been working toward every day. I still can't comprehend what has happened — on one hand, I feel this emptiness inside." Teen at Center of Doping Controversy Breaks Down, Other Skaters in Tears After Shocking Women's Event Her victory was clouded by unexpected drama after her teammate Kamila Valieva slipped and fell on the ice during her free skate, leaving her in tears after placing fourth with an overall score of 224.09 points. Valieva, 15, was at the center of controversy after testing positive for drugs. The Beijing Winter Olympic women's figure skating medalists (from left) after Thursday's free skate: Alexandra Trusova and Anna Shcherbakova of the Russian Olympic Committee and Japan's Kaori Sakamoto. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images "After I skated, I thought I had skated to my maximum and I skated to my goal," Shcherbakova added. "During Kamila's [free skate], I was just thinking the Olympics are done. I saw from her first jump what a burden it was for her — I will tell her how I feel about it personally later." Valieva previously tested positive for the drug Trimetazidine, a banned substance that is used to treat angina, a condition that causes severe pain in the chest. The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced Monday that Valieva would be allowed to compete, but the International Olympic Committee said it would not be "appropriate" to have a medal ceremony if she placed. RELATED VIDEO: IOC Says Sha'carri Richardson and Kamila Valieva's Doping Controversies Are 'Very Different' Shcherbakova won Thursday's event with a final score of 255.95. Her ROC teammate Alexandra Trusova took silver with 251.73, while Japan's Kaori Sakamoto placed third with 233.13. "I don't know what will happen tomorrow and I still don't know what my plans are in the future, so I can't tell you about 2026," Shcherbakova said. "But I can't imagine my life without figure skating. Today, I have achieved result that is considered the pinnacle of sport." To learn more about Team USA, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Winter Olympics, now, and the Paralympics, beginning March 4, on NBC.