Yevgeny Plushenko will be Russia’s lone singles figure skater at the Sochi Olympics, according to R-Sport citing an unnamed source.
“In the men’s individual skating, there’s one name there — Plushenko,” a source within Russia’s sports ministry said.
The three-time Olympic medalist said he landed two quadruple jumps in a closed-door skate Tuesday, where he performed in front of Russian officials set to decide on the nation’s entry by Thursday.
“The test skate went great for me, I skated the program clean with all the elements,” Plushenko said, according to R-Sport. “Everything is fine, now I will continue training and waiting for the decision. I’m pleased, my team is pleased, we did a great and successful job.”
Plushenko faced opposition from Maksim Kovtun, who beat Plushenko at the Russian Championships, but Kovtun finished a disappointing fifth at the European Championships last week and said he didn’t care about the Olympics anymore.
Sergey Voronov was also considered a possibility after he won a silver medal at the European Championships.
“Plushenko stake a good claim, and now the decision will be made on January 23,” Russian figure skating vice president Aleksander Lakernik told R-Sport. “He skated a complete free program that was difficult enough. There were some minor hitches, but nothing serious. There are no ideal performances. The overall impression is good.”
Plushenko won Olympic silver in 2002, gold in 2006 and silver in 2010. He’s trying to become the second skater to win four Olympic singles medals, joining Swede Gillis Grafstrom, who won gold in 1920, 1924 and 1928 and silver in 1932.
Plushenko could also win a medal in the new team event, where Russia may enter as a gold-medal favorite. Plushenko has backed off comments he would compete in the team event and then attempt to cede his singles spot to another skater.
