Sawt Falasteen - Banned Russian skater Valieva stars at Moscow ice gala

"Kamila!" fans chanted as bouquets of flowers were thrown onto the ice after her performance of the Mouse Queen in the 'The Nutcracker' which runs in Moscow until January 12.

Wearing a golden speckled costume and a small crown on her head, the 18-year-old told journalists she faced the challenge of jumping without preparation for the show.

"In sports competitions, you have time to prepare. Here, you have to jump abruptly," said Valieva, the first skater to landed a quadruple jump at the Olympics.

"That's why I'm still sometimes shaky during the jumps," she said.

A loose adaptation of "The Nutcracker" by Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, the show is directed by former Olympic ice dancing champion Tatiana Navka.

It combines special effects with orchestra music and involves around a hundred participants -- skaters, gymnasts and acrobats.

Among them are Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, double Olympic figure skating champions, and five-time US champion Peter Tchernyshev.

But for the public, Valieva is "the queen".

"I really love Kamila Valieva, she is adorable. It's such a shame that she was suspended," Elvira Serebrennikova, a 57-year-old social worker, told AFP, hailing a "beautiful and impressive" skater.

"She's a real phenomenon! Everyone loves her," said Ivan, a 22-year-old web designer.

Valieva failed a doping test prior to the 2022 Winter Olympics where she won team gold aged 15, testing positive for the heart medication trimetazidine.

She was banned for four years in January with the suspension backdated and will end on December 25, 2025.

In November, Valieva said she intended to return to competition after her suspension.

The 2026 Winter Olympics take place in Milan-Cortina.

U.AlSharif--SF-PST