Figure Skater Evgeni Plushenko Withdraws from Competition
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YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images(SOCHI, Russia) — Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko withdrew from the men’s short figure skating competition Thursday after falling during warm-up and apparently suffering an injury.
The 31-year-old skater had just won a gold medal in the team figure skating competition along with his Russian teammates.
However, he was the only skater for Russia in the men’s short figure skating competition, meaning his withdrawal will leave the country without a chance at a solo medal in men’s figure skating during these home games in Sochi, Russia.
Plushenko was warming up before competition when he attempted a triple axel jump. As he landed, he appeared to injure his leg and winced in pain.
Last summer, he underwent surgery to replace a disk in his spine with an artificial one.
In a tense moment after warm-up, Plushenko took the ice to thunderous applause before his scheduled performance and went to the judges, where he told them he was withdrawing.
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