abc's maggie rulli is in beijing tonight. >> reporter: russian figure skater kamila valiyeva, currentlyfirst place in the women's short program in beijing, today with this stunning performance. after making history last week as the first woman to ever successfully land a quad jump in the olympics. but if she places in the top three on thursday, she won't get a medal. neither will the second and third place finishers. because of a doping scandal surrounding the 15-year-old. >> it is a catastrophic failure of the system to protect clean athletes and the integrity of the largest, biggest games of the year. >> reporter: it's the latest example in a years-long saga involving russian athletes illegally using performance-enhancing drugs. it all started after valiyeva tested positive for a banned heart medication that can increase blood flow efficiency and improve endurance. in interview with russian tv 1, valiyeva more, saying these days have been very difficult but she's happy she can perform. the international olympic committee, ioc, deciding there will be no medals or award ceremony for the

abc's maggie rulli joins us from beijing with more. , good morning. >> reporter: heywhod morning. yeah, the games here might be winding down but team usa, they're fighting until the very end adding more medals to the leaderboard. overnight, team usa snagging two spots on the podium in men's free ski halfpipe. fighting brutally cold conditions and high winds the commentators were calling a tube of terror. david weis out to defend his gold in the last two olympics landing back-to-back double cork 1260s and defying gravity to nab silver and 27-year-old alex ferreira laying down four double corks to secure the bronze, his second olympic medal after getting silver in 2018. ♪ over in the rink team usa's timothy leduc making history the moment they hit the ice. the 31-year-old is the first-ever openly nonbinary winter olympian dazzling the crowd in friday's pair skate with ashley cain-gribble. the pair sits in seventh place right behind team usa's alexa knierim and brandon frazier and another medal for elana meyers taylor picking up a bronze.

abc's maggie rulli joins us from beijing with the latest. maggie, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, glad to hear you're a fan. you'll be excited. they have official kicked off in beijing and norway picking up the first gold medal of these game, the women skiathlon but don't worry. we are tracking team usa and there's a few potential gold medal wins for us coming up on the horizon. this morning, good news for team usa. bobsledder elana meyers taylor out of isolation finally testing negative for covid twice after a week in a quarantine hotel and can now compete in the games. the olympics now in full swing here in beijing. a spectacular opening ceremony complete with the parade of nations. team usa, 224 athletes strong, the most of any nation marching in hoping to make history. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: a controversial appearance in the stands, vladimir putin watching the russian olympic committee march. russia not able to compete under their country's name still banned from the global competition due to a doping scandal. and clos

maggie rulli is on the ground in china. >>> what's for lunch? the usda's new set of nutrition standards. forget those fried foods. what it means for your kids' school meals. >>> and just like that, sarah jessica parker speaks out, off the sequel series season finale, what the "sex and the city" star is saying now about that public history with former co-star kim cattrell. can fans ever expect to see samantha back on screen? >>> winter got you down? we're ready for takeoff with the "gma" getaway guide. trendy tips for family us and foodies and the valentine's destinations you're sure to fall for. >>> the countdown to valentine's day is on and show your hair some love. the tips to avoid damage with date-night dos and break up with the flakes and lather yourself with items out of your pantry. as we say, good morning, america. >>> it's saturday morning. this is "gma." >> can we talk about how well you sold that hair segment? >> lather it up! >> i need help with my hair this morning. looking forward to that segment, gio. thrilled to have gio benitez

maggie rulli is in beijing with more. morning, maggie. >> reporter: hey, michael, good morning. yeah, it feels like this scandal is the only thing people here are talking about. overshadowed by controversy, russian skater kamila valiyeva back on olympic ice, the gold medal favorite stumbling in a triple axel but still strong enough to secure her lead in the first round of the individual competition. >> she just was not anywhere near as exquisite, as beautiful as strong as sure of herself as confident as she was in the team competition a little more than a week ago. >> reporter: the 15-year-old allowed to compete as the investigation into her positive drug test intensifies. in addition to the banned heart medication trimetazidine, according to documents reviewed by the ap and "new york times," two non-banned substances, hypoxen and l-carnitine were also found. >> it's a powerful cocktail of endurance and to come back quickly. to recover quickly. >> reporter: the doping scandal casting a cloud over one of the winter games'

telling our maggie rulli she's ready to start training again. >> reporter: how are you feeling about your event? >> oh, i'm feeling super excited. i'm looking forward to getting back out there and giving it a go. >> reporter: but tonight, growing frustration from some of the athletes still in isolation in china. among their complaints, the food and training equipment. the ioc promising to make improvements. >> most of us, we have found ourselves once in the situation where we are not necessarily meeting the conditions that we expected. and it is very unfortunate that it affected an athlete. it h >> reporter: here in beijing, they're gearing up for a big day. the men's downhill ski event that was delayed due to high winds, and the women's giant slalom, where mikaela shiffrin will defend her olympic gold. linsey? >> marcus, thank you. >>> still ahead on "world news tonight" this sunday, the urgent manhunt for three escaped tennessee inmates. >>> and a suspected serial killer has been charged. tonight, the disturbing images that led to his arrest. killer has been charged. tonight, the d

abc's maggie rulli joins us from beijing. maggie, good morning once again. >> reporter: it's hard to believe two weeks ago we were standing here kicking this off, and it's all coming to an end. this morning, the closing ceremony capping off a historic and unconventional olympics. the famed bird's nest lit up to mark the moment. bobsledder elana meyers taylor carrying the flag, an honor she was supposed to have during the opening ceremony but couldn't after testing positive for covid and forced to isolate. leaving beijing with two new medals. hours before, mikaela shiffrin's 2022 olympics coming to a close. the world champion skier leaving beijing without a medal. team usa missing the podium by just 0.42 seconds in the mixed event. journeying the games many from what was expected. shiffrin failed to finish three races and placed 9th and 15th in two others. the skier pushing through on and off the slopes sharing a strong message for critics on social media writing, get up, because you can. and overnight, jessie diggins winning s

maggie rulli joins us from beijing. , good morning. >>aneporter:eywhit. good mcited ympics g.keouai team usa pickt g da overnight, team usa earning its first medal of the 2022 winter olympics. julia marino bringing in the goinhethight women's snowboar gold. the two-time champion plummeting in her first jump. placing in ninth place with the lowest result since 2005. in women's moguls, another silver for team usa. jaelin kauf nabbing the medal in that. on the ice, team usa still hoping to medal in that figure skating team competition, but after this fall by karen chen in the women's short program, and vincent zhou coming in third in the men's free skate, an event he was favored to win, the team dropping from first place to second. sitting three points behind the russian olympic committee. in more good news for team usa bobsledder elana meyers taylor is out of isolation and ready to compete. we caught up with her just after she found out. >> what did you think when you got the second negative test? >> i was overwhelmed. i cried when i got the news. i wasn't

. >> maggie rulli is there for us. >>> but now to the new body cam video released in the disappearanceew showing police discovering the first evidence in the search for the colorado mom would went missing on mother's day in 2020. her husband has been charged with her murder. our chief national correspondent matt gutman joins us now with more on that video. good morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, robin. since suzanne disappeared on mother's day 2020, barely a trace of the mother of two has been found. not her wallet, not her phone, not her body, and that body cam video shows those first crucial hours of the investigation and the first clues that would eventually lead police to accuse her husband of drugging her, murdering her, and then staging it to look like maybe a mountain lion had killed her. this morning, that newly released body cam footage revealing the crucial first hours of the investigation into the disappearance of colorado mom suzanne morphew who went missing back on mother's day in 2020. >> suzanne. >> reporter: the just-released footage was submitted last august as

let's go back to maggie rulli in beijing. >> reporter: hey, george. good morning.'t feel real. still feels like i'm in a dream. >> i love the moment when you finished your routine. the smile on your face. in that moment, did you know you had done it? that you had gotten gold? >> half way throughout program, you know, i had a pretty good feeling that i was on the right path, but yeah, it was a lot of fun. >> reporter: the 22-year-old rocketing across the ice to elton john's "rocket man." >> what was it like to have elton john tweeting about your performance? >> i couldn't believe that he knew i existed. just so special. >> reporter: still humble, the man now known as the quad king, saying he wouldn't have been able to get this far without the support from his mom. she drove him to lessons day after day, state to state for years and years. >> didn't even think anything of it. we spent thousands of miles in our prius going back and forth. back and forth. all the stuff we did was worth it. we were able to make it here and able to have this experience. >> what did she s

maggie rulli is live in china tracking the very latest on the excitement. uge win for nathan. >> reporter: hey, michael. yeah, nathan showing he came here to compete. after what was a disappointing finish in the last olympics, he's now had two back-to-back, nearly flawless performances. this morning, team usa adding another medal to its tally. a bronze, winning the first-ever medal in the cross-country skiing event. team usa chasing gold on the ice. nathan chen breaking a world record. the 22-year-old's nearly flawless performance included two quadruple jumps and a triple axel, daring, perfectly executed spins. victoriously throwing his fists in the air, this was a date with the ice he had been waiting on since his disappointing performance at the olympics four years ago. but their teammate vincent zhou missing a chance to compete after testing positive for covid. >> i've already lost count of the number of times i cried today. but i'm happy to say that at least one of those times was happy tears. that was when i found out that i became an olympic silver med

maggie rulli is in beijing with the latest. ning, maggie. >> reporter: hey, michael, good morning. this is the first time we heard from the head of the ioc since the scandal broke. he says what he saw out there on the ice was disturbing. there's no mistaking it. this was a different kamila valiyeva on the ice. after being allowed to compete in the women's finals despite testing positive for an illegal performance-enhancing substance, the 15-year-old plagued by a series of uncharacteristic falls. at the end of her skate, valiyeva left the ice in tears, met by harsh words from her coaches. overnight for the first time ioc president thomas bach weighing in condemning any possible role that valiyeva's team may have played in her positive test. >> my experience over years having had to listen to many lies and to many explanations of doping cases, and they're realizing that doping very rarely happens alone by the athletes. >> reporter: bach calling the treatment of valiyeva by her own country, chilling. >> i was very, very disturbed.

maggie rulli is there in china with the latest. orning, maggie. >> reporter: hey, robin, good morning. what a day for team usa. not only do we have those two absolutely explosive performances, but just seconds ago we found out team usa has thnailg qu auaer qd.all on d a fall edalteio this time, the 22-year-old's stratospheric performance set to elton john's "rocketman" rocketing him to gold. his second medal of the games. after helping the u.s. nab silver in the team competition, but this morning, the results of that team event could be in flux. the medal ceremony which was scheduled for tuesday night was suddenly delayed due to what the ioc is calling a legal issue. according to nbc, 15-year-old russian olympic committee star kamila valieva who on monday became the first woman to land a quad in the olympics and help the roc win a gold tested positive for a banned substance. trimetazidine helps the heart functi functio functions, and it helps athletes perform with a higher heart rate for longer. >> it is intended to treat angina in

maggie rulli is there in beijing with more for us. good morning, maggie. >> reporter: hey, robin.thice, what nobody expected falling and if she medal there would be no ceremony but valiyeva out, an awardser is knowny took place. there's no word on what's going to happen with her medal orrer iser is knowny in the team event. kamila stumling and falling during her falling. va valiyeva overcome with emotion. >> now another doping allegation from another country competing in the games. ukrai ukrainian skier kaminska testing positive for both a steroid and a still you lapt. taken last thursday and revealed this week. on the slopes, a strong start, world champion skier mikaela shiffrin not making it to the finish line. the 26-year-old crowd favorite who competed in five events these games but has not yet medaled in any of them may have one more shot on saturday. and heartbreak on the ice. the defending gold champion women's hockey team giving it their all against longtime rival canada missing their star player brianna decker out early in the game with a devastating injury, down two poin

maggie rulli is live in china tracking all the action. od morning, maggie. >> reporter: hey, michael, good morning. it has been a huge day here in the mountains. we were there to see team usa pick up that very first gold medal and to see shaun white prove that even after two decades in the olympics, guys, he is still there to show up and absolutely crush it when it matters. a gold medal for team usa. lindsey jacobellis nabbing the u.s. its first gold of the games in snowboard cross. redemption after an early celebration cost her the gold in 2006. now in her fifth olympics at 36, she's the oldest snowboarder to ever win an olympic medal. and a nail-biter on the halfpipe. shaun white in his fifth and what he said would be his final olympics wiping out in his first run while trying to pull off his signature move, the double mctwist 1260. sitting in 19th place, near the bottom of the pack, with only one more run to go, he needed to crack the top 12 to keep his medal dreams alive. with it all on the line the 35-year-old, the oldest competitor i

maggie rulli is live in the mountains of china. we have some action. hey there. >> reporter: hey, t.j. it's been a huge day of anticipation in the mountains. you mentioned obstacles. team usa hit some setbacks on the slopes, but don't worry, team figure skating came through with a silver medal. it was a rough start for team usa on the slopes. mikaela shiffrin skiing off course. just five gates in. on instagram, chalking the error up to really bad timing. adding she's moving on. ready to focus on her next event. nina o'brien suffering a crash, remaining motionless for several minutes before being carried away by a stretcher. also, a disappointing day for defending gold medalist red gerard edged off the podium in a fourth place finish. on the final night in the team figure skating competition team usa dazzling on the ice. madison chock and evan bates with a mesmerizing performance in the free dance, boosting team usa to a silver medal. a potential setback for team member vincent zhou testing positive for covid. after his free skate performance for the te

maggie rulli is on the scene. good morning, maggie. >> reporter: hey, george, good morning.un white's final run will be one of the olympic moments out of these games and, like you said, even though he didn't make the podium, just watching that moment was watching history. overnight, the end of an era on the halfpipe. shaun white in what he says is his final olympic run. a strong start out of the gate hitting a massive 1440, his signature double mctwist 1260 and a daring frontside 1260. the five-time olympian leaving it all on the halfpipe. sitting in fourth place with one final run ahead of him, a last chance to pull off a killer run to get that coveted gold medal. the 35-year-old and oldest male halfpiper to ever compete in the olympics, crashing, missing out on making the podium, but finishing the run in style. sliding down the halfpipe with his helmet and fist in the air, surrounded by cheers. overcome with emotion, wiping away tears. the moment a bittersweet ending to a career decades in the making. white grabbing his first of a record three olympic golds at his very fir

maggie rulli is there in beijing with more. r: hey, robin, good morning. you know, it's hard to overstate the significance of what is happening here right now. it's being called the biggest scandal to ever hit the world of figure skating. this morning, 15-year-old russian figure skater kamila valiyeva returning to the ice, stumbling her triple axel, coming in first place of the first leg of the women's figure skating competition. despite testing positive for an illegal performance-enhancing substance before the games. now the ioc says valiyeva claims there was a mix-up with her grandfather's heart medication. >> i was in this hearing and i don't know, if her argument was this company nation which happened with a product, her grandfather was taking. he presented elements which brought some doubts about guilt. >> reporter: international court deciding she can still compete while they investigate further. in response, the ioc saying if valiyeva lands in the top three, there will be no medals handed out until the investigation is co

a high energy event and maggie rulli is on the scene in beijing for all of it. ning, maggie. >> reporter: hey, george, come on, hard not to feel the energy right now. just moments ago the sky was lit up with fireworks and behind me the opening ceremonies are going on. inside the bird's nest there are athletes from all over the world marching in the parade of nations. while everything was significantly scaled back because of covid, guys, you can still feel it. this, g pic spirit is here. ceremony already under way. taking place at the famed bird's nest in beijing. the same location as the 2008 opening ceremony for the summer games, but this year will be very different. huge drop from the 15,000 in a 2008, and this time, most of them will be teens. the length also much shorter. a whopping four hours in 2008 cut way down to just 100 minutes because it's so cold and because of covid. the event not open to the public. instead tickets have been given to a preselected group who must all follow strict covid protocols. not in attendance, any u.s. government officials. ten