Plushenko Olympic participation in doubt
10:44, 30 December 2013
MOSCOW. December 30. KAZINFORM- The dreams of 2006 Olympic figure skating champion Evgeny Plushenko to star at next year's Winter Games suffered a heavy blow this week after he lost the Russian national title to 18-year-old Maxim Kovtun, RIA-Novosti informs.
After finishing second in the Russian nationals held in Sochi, 31-year-old Plushenko said he was ready to cede the country's sole Olympic spot in the men's event to the younger skater, but was eager to represent Russia in the newly-promoted team event.
However, Russian figure skating officials hurried to explain that the three-time Olympic medalist had made an error in an overly emotional outburst, as according to the rules only the skater entered for the individual can represent the country in the team event, unless injury or other unforeseen circumstances occur.
The final decision on the Olympic entrants will be made after the January's European Championships, where Plushenko won't feature due to fitness concerns.