Evgeni Plushenko to Defend his Olympic Gold Medal

Photo of Evgeni Plushenko by jeany.

He’s back…

Evgeni Plushenko, who dominated men’s figure skating from 2003-2006, intends to make a comeback at the Vancouver Olympics, where he would be defending his Olympic gold medal. The three-time world champion has been training with his longtime coach, Alexei Mishin, and he has even been successfully completing two quadruple jumps. Plushenko hasn’t competed since winning olympic gold, but he is currently training harder than he has at any point since the Turin Olympics.

According to his agent “he is training from six to seven hours a day. He is taking out all options to make sure he is at his best for Vancouver.”

Another reason for his comeback may be that Russia currently doesn’t have any top figure skaters. Russia has been known for producing some of the most dominating men’s figure skaters, but since Plushenko’s retirement, they have not had any men who were even medal contenders.

Since leaving the ice, Plushenko’s personal life has been tumultuous. He was married just before his final season of competitive skating and he became a father shortly after winning the gold medal in Turin. His marriage to student Maria Ermak, however, only lasted one year and Plushenko quickly found himself involved in a bitter divorce. The very public battle lasted for nearly 2 years before it was finally decieded that Ermak would gain custody of their son and Plushenko would keep their luxury apartment in St. Petersburgh, which was a gift that he had received from Vladamir Putin after winning the gold in Turin. The true reasons for the divorce are a mystery, but there are numerous theories and rumors that are all over the internet. Plushenko has since said that he has a new girlfriend. He also was involved in a dispute with the gold medalist pairs team in Turin, Tatmianina and Marininin, who broke various tour contracts, including one with him.

Hopefully, we will continue to hear more news concerning Plushenko on the ice. I would love to see how the other men would respond to his return. Daisuke Takahashi, who has been injured this season, and Brian Joubert are the only men who I believe have the potential to defeat Plushenko, but Tomas Verner could give him a run for his money, as well. They will all have to master the quad, however, because if Plushenko is landing two in a program and they aren’t even completing one, they don’t stand a chance.

For those of you who miss him, or have yet to see him, here is his gold medal winning long program from the Turin Olympics: