The annual survey conducted by the state-owned All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) saw the 16-year-old Valieva named by seven per cent of those polled, with three-time Olympic cross-country gold medalist Alexander Bolshunov second with five per cent and National Hockey League (NHL) star Alexander Ovechkin third on four per cent.

A total of two per cent asked each named Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, the Olympic gold and silver medallists in the women’s singles at Beijing 2022, an event where Valieva finished fourth as controversy over her positive doping case appeared to overwhelm her.

"In the responses of Russians, there is some bias in favour of figure skaters - a total of 14 per cent named former and current champions in this sport," VTsIOM noted in a study reported by Russia’s official state news agency TASS.

Figure skaters have traditionally done well in the survey with two-time Olympic gold medallist Evgeni Plushenko coming top in 2006, 2007, 2012 and 2014.

Alina Zagitova was voted first in 2018 at the end of a year when she had won the women’s singles title at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Valieva was the star of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) squad that won the Olympic team gold at Beijing 2022 only for it to emerge before the medal ceremony that she had tested positive on the eve of the Games for the banned drug trimetazidine, as insidethegames exclusively revealed.

Her case was shrouded in secrecy because, at the age of 15 when the test was conducted, she was considered a minor under the rules of the World Anti-Doping Code.

The sample in question was taken on December 25 in 2021, but only reported by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory in Stockholm on February 8.

Valieva was only cleared to compete in the women's singles event at Beijing 2022 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after it opted against re-imposing a provisional suspension for the failed drug test, but she finished fourth after an error-strewn performance in the free skating.

Last November, WADA registered an appeal to the CAS seeking a ruling that Valieva committed an anti-doping rule violation and a four-year ban if found guilty, along with the disqualification of all of her results the date of her positive test onwards.

That would mean the ROC would be stripped of its team gold at Beijing 2022, with the United States upgraded from the silver medal position.

Bolshunov, second in the poll, was Russia’s most successful competitor at Beijing 2022.

The cross-country skier won Olympic gold medals in the 50 kilometres freestyle, 30km skiathlon and 4x10m relay.

As a reward, the 26-year-old Bolshunov, previously a senior lieutenant, received the rank of captain in the National Guard of Russia.

Last March, Bolshunov participated alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Moscow rally in support of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ovechkin, captain of the NHL side Washington Capitals, where he has played since 2004, is considered one of the greatest ice hockey players in history.

The 37-year-old is second only to Wayne Gretzky for all-time goal scoring in the NHL with 802 goals.

Ovechkin also holds many other records, including for the most power play goals, most goals in away games, and most goals with the same team in NHL history.