MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s figure skating federation has nominated Evgeny Plushenko as the country’s sole entry in the men’s event at the Sochi Olympics.
Plushenko, whose three Olympic medals include the 2006 gold, is one of the leading skaters of the past 15 years, but his participation in Sochi had been in doubt due to injury and a second-place finish in the Russian nationals. Since back surgery last spring, he’s skated in only one international event, a second-tier competition in Latvia.
The announcement on Wednesday by the federation in a brief statement came one day after Plushenko skated behind closed doors for judges to assess his readiness.
The federation said its team nominations will be presented to the Russian Olympic Committee and Sports Ministry for approval.
