Kamila Valieva misses out on a medal, capping a stunning end to her time in Beijing.

Kamila Valieva, Russia’s figure skating prima ballerina, uncharacteristically faltered in the women’s individual event on Thursday, stumbling and falling several times and tumbling to fourth place in an event she had widely been expected to dominate.

She had shown up at the Olympic rink on Thursday night facing a single, heavy burden for a 15-year-old who has soared to the top of her sport in a quick four months, only to fall from it while the world was watching.

Her job was to win, for Russia. Continuing the country’s streak of two consecutive Olympic gold medals in the women’s event was at stake.

In a mostly black costume with flame-red gloves that glowed at the end of her long arms, she set out, determined, as Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero” began to play. But jump by jump, as her routine crumbled after uncharacteristic falls and stumbles, she knew a victory that everyone had once expected her to deliver was not to be.

Instead of ending the night in first place to perhaps salvage an Olympics gone bad after she was found to have tested positive weeks ago for a banned heart medicine, she finished it by skating off the ice in tears. Her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, greeted her not with a hug, but with a stern look.

“Why did you let it go?” Tutberidze asked in Russian in a scene broadcast on live television. “Why did you stop fighting? Explain it to me, why? You let it go after that axel.”

Valieva did not reply.

The Russians were expected to sweep the medals, with Valieva finishing first and living up to her reputation as one of the best skaters in history. But a Russian teammate, Anna Shcherbakova, won gold. Yet another Russian teenager, Alexandra Trusova, won the silver. Valieva, who just 11 days ago was deemed unbeatable because of her difficult jumps, textbook technique and prima ballerina’s artistry, was fourth.

Shcherbakova, the reigning world champion, won the gold with a smooth and poignant performance that included two quadruple jumps, scoring 255.95 points. Trusova won silver with 251.73 points. Kaori Sakamoto of Japan took the bronze with 233.13 points, saying she was both surprised and ecstatic about winning the medal.