Plushenko

Saint Valentine's Day has arrived, and there's a piece of good news for all Russian girls, who haven't got a date yet. One of sport's most desired men, 25-year-old figure skating superstar Evgeni Plushenko has finally got a divorce.

But nothing lasts forever, and this alliance lasted just for over a year, before the couple filed for divorce.

And it took them as long to get one. Their son's surname and a luxury apartment in St. Petersburg were to be split.

The court ruling is as follows: Maria keeps the baby, and Evgeni keeps the flat.

The apartment was a gift Evgeni received from President Vladimir Putin after clinching a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Turin in 2006.

The president of the St. Petersburg Federation of Figure Skating, Oleg Nilov, has denied reports that the 2006 Winter Olympics gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko is moving to Volgograd, a city in the lower reaches of the Volga River where he spent a part of his childhood and made first the steps in his remarkable sports career.

Nilov admitted that Plushenko will be spending much time in Volgograd from now on, but the idea that he will move to Volgograd forever probably comes from a misinterpretation of what the Plushenko said earlier in the day.

He also indicated that Plusenko will continue working in the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly.

According to earlier reports, Plushenko revealed his plans for extensive working and staying in Volgograd during a meeting with the regional governor, Nikolai Maksyuta. They met in Volgograd to discuss the prospects for developing figure skating and other winter sports there.

“I spent my early green years in this city and although I lived for only nine years here, I still consider myself to be a resident of Volgograd,” Plushenko said. “I’ve harbored a plan for breathing a new life into the school of figure skating here for quite some time and now my associates and I are close to translating this dream into reality.

“The main result of this meeting is a decision to build an ice arena in the city of Volzhsky nearby,” he said.

Oleg Nilov confirmed, on his part, that the Olympic champion will engage in rebuilding the school of figure skating in Volgograd that practically ceased to exist in the period of financial upheavals in the early 1990s.

“The figure skating federation and Plushenko dealt with the problem for quite some time and they reached a considerable success in this field,” he said.

Plushenko will coach kids from Volgograd in a hope that some of them may come for further tutelage to St. Petersburg one day – as Plushenko himself did in the early 1990s – and will then take part in the Winter Olympics, Nilov said.

Olympic figure skating champion Evgeni Plushenko had surgery on his knees last week.

According to a spokesman, the operation was more difficult that expected. A meniscus was removed successfully, and Evgeni should spend at least two weeks in a clinic in Munich, Gremany.

Rehabilitation will take time; however, doctors affirmed that everything will be fine and Evgeni can return to the training.

Plushenko, regarded as the most gifted skater of his generation, has not competed since winning the men's title at the Turin Olympics in February 2006.

Evgeni Plushenko was among those celebrating July 11 when the International Olympic Committee handed the 2014 Winter Olympics to Sochi.

Plushenko, who won a figure skating gold in the last Games in Turin, Italy, sat around a table at the official Russian hotel with a handful of friends on a balcony, tossing back shots of local tequila barely 30 minutes after the announcement.
"Well? Here's to Sochi!" he said in a toast, and everyone knocked the liquor back right on cue.

Plushenko has been one of the most visible ambassadors for Sochi's bid and made a confident contribution in fluent English at the final presentation.

"We did it! We did it! Sochi! Sochi!" chanted the delirious Sochi delegation in chaotic scenes seconds after Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, made the announcement at the city's Intercontinental hotel.

Sochi beat Pyeongchang, South Korea, by just four votes, 51-47. Salzburg, the early favorite, was eliminated in the first round with 25 votes. Pyeongchang won the first round, getting 36 votes compared with Sochi's 34.

Many of the Pyeongchang delegation were in tears at the decision, which may well have come as a shock: The city was the clear favorite going into the voting, but that was before the intervention of Sochi's so-called "captain," President Vladimir Putin.

A persuasive speech delivered expertly in English and French by Putin to IOC members earlier in the day swung the vote Sochi's way.

"Winter sports are very popular in Russia and have proved that in the sporting arena, but we have never had the honor to host the Winter Games," said Putin, who had arranged meetings with every IOC member prior to the vote.

Putin's speech opened Sochi's final presentation. He spoke with an urgency and passion that rarely surfaces in his speeches at home, where he has fewer hearts and minds to win over.

Russian Olympic Committee chief Leonid Tyagachyov later Wednesday signed a contract that committed Sochi to organizing the Games, and the organizing committee was finally able to relax.

Reigning Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko went roller-skating with 90 children from urban and rural Guatemala as part of Sochi 2014's "Gateway to the Future" project.

While most Guatemalans enjoyed a national holiday, Plushenko traveled to the "Domo" stadium a few minutes from Guatemala City Airport to meet the excited children from the National Skating Federation of Guatemala who had traveled from all over Guatemala to take part in the skating event.

Plushenko, who is part of the Sochi 2014 Bid to host Russia’s first-ever Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, said:

"Skating on ice and in-line skating are based on the same discipline, and Sochi 2014 wants to promote involvement in sports around the world. Russia is a nation passionate about winter sports, but we have not yet had the honor of hosting the Winter Games, and I hope that will change after the vote here in Guatemala."

Plushenko was just one of the Russian sports stars in Guatemala to support Sochi 2014. Others on the ground include five-time Paralympic champion, Mikhail Terentiev and four-time Olympic swimming champion and IOC Member, Alexander Popov, in addition to other Russian Olympic legends who are arriving as part of the Sochi 2014 team.

May 31, 2007

Evgeni receives national honor

Evgeni Plushenko has been awarded the Supreme decoration of his country, "For the revival of Russia, XXI century. According to the decision by the Russian Public commission, Plushenko was recommended for the decoration "for the oustanding merits, which promote to the strengthening of economic power, greatness and prosperity of Russia". The decoration holder "For revival of Russia XXI century" receives the gold award, which was made on Moscow Mint, the bill of the decoration holder, the certificate of the decoration holder and the logo of competition -- figurine "PILAR".

Evgeni Plushenko will begin training in the Spanish city -- Haka for the 2007-2008 competitive season. "I made a decision to remain in amateur sport. I begin preparation for the new season from August in Haka. This place for trainings is chosen not casually, an annual gathering group of Alexey Nikolaevich Mishin traditionally take place there".

Evgeni Plushenko, Hungarian composer Edvin Martin as well as figure skating stars and acrobats are beginning the second half of the Golden Ice of Stradivarius tour in Russia.

The first part of the tour had covered 20 cities all over Russia and the Baltic States, and ended up in St. Petersburg on April, 6.

Since then, Evgeni received the honorable Slava award as the best sportsman of the year, while his coach, Alexei Mishin was named the best coach. Evgeni also participated in the U.S. tour of Champions on Ice.

Evgeni Plushenko was recognized as the most stylish sportsman of the year in at a "Fashion Awards" ceremony.

Olympic gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko has seen enough after taking one season off.

Evgeni said Tuesday he is returning to competitive skating after he took a year off after the Turin Games.

In an interview with the Associated Press in Richmond, Va., today, where Evgeni begins the touring season with Champions On Ice, he said he was disappointed by the Russian men's showing in international events this year, including finishing 18th and 19th at last month's World championships.

Plushenko is concerned Russia could lose at least one or even two of the maximum three Olympic spots if there isn't a quick turnaround.

"After seeing the results of Russian skaters in the world championships in Tokyo, I have decided to go back to competition," said Plushenko. "I want to keep Russian figure skating at a competitive level. I want to bridge the gap so our young skaters have time to train and be competitive, which should be in a few years.

Evgeni also plans to compete at the Vancouver Olympics, something he mentioned he might try after winning at Turin.

"I feel strongly that I can be competitive and ready for the 2010 Olympics," Evgeni said. "I am doing triple Axels in my show programs on the Russian tour and landing quads in my practice sessions.

"Plushenko, 24, had been the dominant men's skater in the world until he took the past season off. He said would continue such difficult elements on the Champions On Ice tour before going into full training for the 2007-08 season.

He expects to skate in Grand Prix competitions, as well as the European and world championships.

Evgeni is a three-time World Champion (2001, '03, and '04) and a 2002 Olympic silver medal.He did not skate in the last three worlds, skipping 2005 because of injury and '06 because he was worn out from the Olympics.

Plushenko has battled knee injuries through the years, but the season off from competition has him feeling healthy.

According to the preliminary results of the elections on March, 12, the party Fair Russia Spravedlivaya Rossia (Plushenko is one of its three main leaders) took 21.9% of the votes.

A northern Russian city of Murmansk welcomed the participants of the show with a severe frost (it was about 30 degrees below zero) and sunny weather.

Evgeni Plushenko and Edvin Martom had to hurry up for the opening of the new city ice rink. After that the participants had a rehearsal and then they went to a press conference to give interviews and answer journalists' questions. There were lots of topics for discussion. For example, the weather. Evgeni said that he had already been to Murmansk, but the last time he was there, the city seemed gloomy, while this time it came out in its true colours -- bright and vivid. Edvin could not stop admiring Murmansk, and according to him, he had been dreaming to live in a city where one was able to go skiing all the year round within the city limits.

Evgeni and Edvin told the journalists about their joint performance, which they were going to perform for the first time. Edvin even played his famous violin at the press conference. The show was sold out.

A hotline with Evgeny Plushenko was set up in the Komsomolskaya Pravda’s office. The newspaper’s readers could call the famous athlete from across Russia.
Most callers were asking about the skater’s short-term plans, schedule of his performances and forthcoming shows. Among other things, Evgeny provided details of his tour across 30 Russian and CIS cities planned for next spring. The tour participants will include the famous Hungarian composer Edvin Marton and Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, the renowned Russian figure-skating pair, as well as other athletes.

A car taking Gold Medalist Evgeni Plushenko to the Milan airport was involved in an accident in dense fog early Friday morning, but he wasn't hurt in the chain-reaction collision, said Ari Zakarian, Plushenko's agent.

Zakarian said Plushenko, his coach and his choreographer were being driven to the Milan airport to fly back to St. Petersburg, Russia, where Plushenko lives and trains. He was to be honored by the city for his Olympic victory.

According to Zakarian, Plushenko was being chauffeured by a representative of a Russian Olympic team sponsor. The accident was minor, he said. Plushenko arrived in time for his flight.

Plushenko is scheduled to be back in Turin in time for the closing exhibition of skating champions on Feb. 24. After that, Zakarian said, Plushenko will have shows in Europe and Asia and Russia and will make a decision "in about a week" if he will go to the World Figure Skating Championships in Calgary from March 20-26.

He staked his claim to the top prize at the XX Winter Olympics at Torino, Italy with two dazzling programs in a record-setting performance.

Evgeni set personal and overall records in the first Olympics using the new code of points scoring.

He scored 167.67 points in the free skate, beating his previous record by .27 points. He owns the new overall points total with an astonishing 258.33 points, almost seven points better than the record he set in the 2005 Grand Prix Final. He set the short standard on Tuesday with 90.66 points.

Skating to The Godfather soundtrack, performed and arranged by his friend Edvin Marton, Evgeni didn’t leave any room to decide who was the best in the world.

It took Evgeni all of eight minutes when the short program began to set the standard that had everyone else deciding to chase the silver and bronze medals. Evgeni was the second person to skate on Tuesday.
Johnny Weir conceded as much when he said the battle was on for second place on Tuesday when Evgeni piled up a 10-point lead, including a perfect quad-triple toeloop combination.

Evgeni continues Russia’s stranglehold on the Olympic men’s competition. He is the fifth skater from Russia to win a gold medal in the past five Olympics.

Evgeni joins Alexei Yagudin (2002), Ilia Kulik) (1998), Alexei Urmanov (1994) and Viktor Petrenko (1992) among the past five consecutive championships.

Ironically Evgeni was the silver medalist in the 2002 Salt Lake Games. A fall in the short helped decided that outcome against his rival Yagudin. And Petrenko was the technical specialist in Tuesday night’s short program.

He didn’t have to say a word. It was all in the posted numbers following his passionate short program at the XX Winter Olympics at Torino, Italy – 90.66.

He is halfway home to the gold medal that eluded him four years in an epic battle with his countryman Alexei Yagudin.

Even Johnny Weir, who trails Evgeni in second with 80 points, admitted he is skating for a different color medal than the Russian.

"I've been touted as America's next medal hope. As long as I go well, I can't see why not. I will definitely race for silver," he said after finishing second in the men's short program.

Evgeni’s personal best score was the highest for any short program since the new scoring system was adopted in 2003.

He was so far ahead of everybody else that his technical score -- 49.69 -- was higher than each of the bottom three men's total scores.

Evgeni said nothing is a lock. "It's a lot of pressure right now, guys, come on," Plushenko said to the media "Nothing happened. I just skated today perfect and did my job."

Evgeni skated to “Tosca” and exhibited all of the tortured passion from Puccini’s opera.
He was tack sharp on every element. It began with a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination that awarded him 15 points under the new scoring system. Evgeni landed a magnificent triple axel to exhilarating footwork into a triple Lutz.

Evgeni, who drew to skate second out of 30 competitors, had an early morning practice.

He was all business-like when he started his program. His circular step sequence drew extra applause from the crowd and was awarded a level four by the technical panel.

After Evgeni, 23, finished, and before bowing to the crowd, he went back to the spot where he landed the quad-triple and touched the ice.

“This is actually my secret. But I can tell you that I had to fight for this quad to the very end. I was leaning backward. But I pulled it off, I stood up. So I was just thankful for that”, he said.

“I achieved a new personal best (score) and I did it in the Olympic Games. This is very important to me”, Evgeni said.

Andrea Joyce of NBC tried to get Evgeni about his performance and he would only say “I am happy now. The free program will be a fight. I will talk after the free.” He waved to the cameras and went into the stands to watch his competitors watch their scores get posted in comparison to his.

But Evgeni wouldn’t claim victory or say he is a clear favorite for the gold medal. "The fight starts right now," Plushenko said. "Yeah, I have 10 points more than everybody and I'm happy with the result, of course. But I should perform the same like I did tonight in the free program. If I do my best, I can win first place."

If Evgeni wins, he would be the fifth straight Russian or Soviet man to win the gold.

The three-time World Champion won his fifth European championship last month. He had the flu and was gasping for breath during the programs. He collapsed in exhaustion after the free skate.

And Evgeni admitted Tuesday he’d been a “little bit sick” earlier in the week.

Asked if someone could still beat the Russian for the gold, Weir said: "If he falls three times maybe, just maybe, someone can squeeze by."

February 12, 2006

Evgeni Plushenko drew the second skating position among 30 competitors for Tuesday's men's Olympic short program at Turin, Italy.

In the past that would be cause for concern, hoping early scores would hold up with 28 skaters, most top challengers, remaining.

However, with the new code of points judging system, Evgeni can still post a top score and the remaining skaters would have to match or better his score.

Skaters now earn points rather than placements from the judges, so maks aren't saved for later competitors.

Evgeni Plushenko continues training for the Winter Olympics that is now five days away from the men’s competition.

The men’s Olympic short program is February 14 and the free skate is February 16.

Evgeni proved why he was the favorite to become the fourth straight Russian and fifth straight Russian-born, to win the Olympic men’s gold medal.

Under the new Code of Points scoring system, Evgeni has the seven highest scores recorded.

His victory in the European Championship two weeks ago was nothing less than sensational.

During Evgeni’s free skate to “Godfather” Ari Zakarian said Evgeni “was screaming during his footwork because of all the power he was putting into it.”

Zakarian, who is Evgeni’s agent and close friend, said Evgeni was so exhausted after his free skate he just collapsed on the ice.

“Evgeni is feeling better and concentrating on his competitions,” Zakarian said.

Zakarian, who has seen Evgeni skate exclusively during magnificent career, described Evgeni’s free skate at Europeans as “one of a kind. I can’t remember when I’ve seen him skate better.

Evgeni Plushenko may not have been feeling his best but he sure did a good job disguising it in the free skate at the European Championships at Lyon, France.

Evgeni won the free skate and cruised to his fifth European Championship victory. He also won the short program.

The closest anybody could get to Evgeni was runnerup Stephane Lambiel who was second. Evgeni earned 162.53 points for the free skate and 245.33 overall. That was over seven points better than Lambiel (154.14), who set a personal high mark for his free skate program.

Evgeni’s victory margin was a whopping 16.56 points better than Lambiel. Plushenko was the best today," Lambiel said. "Against him I can't make any errors."

Evgeni had been taking intravenous fluids three days before arriving in Lyon at the last minute to attend the draw.

“It was very difficult to skate the program because I'm still not healthy. After the third minute I couldn't breathe. I was gulping for air, like a fish out of water," he said. "It was so hard, that I thought I couldn’t go on that I’ll stop after the circular footwork. But I’m happy that I pulled through."

Plushenko opened with a quadruple jump and added seven more triples in his routine. He did two triple Axels, including one in combination with a triple toe loop and a double loop.

"I almost didn't come. But this is the final preparation before the Olympic Games," Plushenko said.

When he finished his free skate to “The Godfather”, a soundtrack performed by Nino Rota, Evgeni lay sprawled on the ice in exhaustion.

“I was tired, and I had a lot of emotions, a lot of nervousness, everybody was blowing these horns, clapping for the French skaters and the Swiss (Lambiel) skater. I’m happy that they didn’t forget about me and that the audience was with me, too. I think this was my hardest European Championship”, he said.

Evgeni’s emotions came through when he leaped from the kiss and cry and raised his arms in victory as the scores were announced.

As the TV cameras panned Evgeni, he raised his hand with his five fingers in the camera signaling the number of victories he’s accumulated at Europeans.

Evgeni is the favorite to win the gold medal at next month’s Olympics at Turin, Italy.

Evgeni Plushenko, on intravenous fluids for several days, showed he was healthy enough to win the men’s short program at the European Championships at Lyon, France.

Evgeni didn’t decide to the last minute to make the trip for the final competition before next moth’s Olympics. He has been battling the flu for over a week.

He arrived in time for the draw and the three-time world and four-time European champion proceeded to score 82.80 points for almost a five-point lead over Brian Joubert (77.85 points) of France. World Champion Stephane Lambier of Switzerland was third with 74.73 points.

“I was on intravenous fluids for three days, and thanks to the doctor who
got me back on my feet. There was a doubt whether I could come,'” Plushenko
said. “It was a bit hard to skate, to breathe. I'm still coughing badly.”

If Plushenko wins, he’ll win Russia a sweep of all four European titles for a second straight year. It also gives his management team, Michael Collins Enterprises, three gold medallists – men, women and pairs.

“I’m happy that my team and most of all my coach are satisfied, because I was really sick and I was able to skate quite well in spite of that.”

Plushenko skated to “Tosca”. He displayed remarkable circular steps that included three and four revolutions on one foot while moving. The rare and unusual footwork was a crowd pleaser.

He had a little difficult on a quad-triple jump combination, cutting the second jump to a double when he slipped on the first jump. “I got stuck on the takeoff,” Plushenko said.

Plushenko skated 17th out of the 35 men. He nailed a triple Axel and followed that with a triple Lutz. He received a level three for both the circular and straight line sequence and a level four for his combination spin.

“It wasn’t the best skate, there was a mistake, but it wasn’t bad. All the other elements were very well done. The triple Axel, the triple Lutz, the footwork was well done, the spins weren’t bad, although it was a bit hard to skate, to breathe,” Plushenko said.

January 18, 2006

Evgeni Plushenko will compete in the European Figure Skating Championships.

Evgeni’s participatiion has been in doubt because of reports by his agent he has been recovering from the flu.

Evgeni arrived in Lyon in time for the draw. He will start 17th Friday in the men’s short program.

Men's European champion Evgeni Plushenko is a doubt for Friday's men's short program. His coach and agent were quoted as saying he had the flu. Replacements must be named before Thursday's draw.

Plushenko's agent said the Russian would arrive in Lyon late Tuesday. Plushenko, the only Russian to miss repeating at the World Championships when he withdrew with a groin injury, has said he was ready to defend his title against world champion Stephane Lambiel and 2004 European champion Brian Joubert.

Evgeni Plushenko won his seventh national championship in the past eight years at Kazan, Russia.

Evgeni, the 2002 Olympic silver medalist and three time world champion, will lead the Russian men’s team at the European Championships next month.

Evgeni is scheduled to skate in his second Olympics, at Torino, Italy in mid-February.

Evgeni Plushenko will be a special guest and skate an exhibition at the Gran Gala Lancia Ice in Turin on September 24.

It will be one of the first times Evgeni will skate some of his scheduled Olympic elements in public.

He had surgery on both of his knees in Germany over the summer and his recovery is going well. Evgeni is skating without pain.

He practiced his elements – spins, footword and jumps - for three weeks in Jaca, Spain where he spent some quality training time. He skated to “Carmina Burana” that included new step sequences, spins and transitions.

Evgeni is scheduled to compete at the ISU Grand Prix Cup of Russia, Russian and European Championships before the Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Evgeni is in his second week of receiving medical care for an injury suffered before the World Championships in Moscow.

The groin injury, among others, that forced him to withdraw from the free skate, was diagnosed weeks before the World Championships but Evgeni continued to participate.

Trying his quadruple jumps added the extra strain that inflamed his groin injury and forced him to withdraw.

Evgeni is expected to receive an updated diagnosis this week to determine when he can resume skating.

Evgeni Plushenko’s future had to be taken into account and that is among the reasons Plushenko withdrew from the World Championships. His status for touring with Champions On Ice is being discussed and will be decided this week.

December 9, 2004

World Champion Evgeni Plushenko will compete in the Grand Prix Final December 16-19 at Beijing China.

Evgeni won the Cup of Russia in his only Grand Prix event this season. By scoring the maximum number of points he became the first alternate.

When Johnny Weir, ranked No. 1 after his Grand Prix qualifying events withdrew from the GP Final with an injury, it moved Evgeni up to the sixth qualifying position.

Evgeni won the Grand Prix Final in 2000 and 2001 and was second the last
two years.

Evgeni Plushenko may be just beginning to get into skating shape, but it would be hard for him to look much better than he did at the Marshalls World Cup of Figure Skating in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Evgeni Plushenko landed a quad and seven triple jumps to win Cup of Russia in Moscow.

Two-time World champion Evgeni Plushenko canceled his skating performance recently with Art On Ice in Prague and Budapest.

Three-Time World Champion, Evgeni Plushenko puts the rumors to rest and confirms that he will compete at the 2005 European Championships.

"I can not wait to compete again at Europeans and take back my title," Plushenko said.

He has just completed a competition in Russia where he completed two quad jumps (quad toe and quad salchow) and was rewarded with four perfect scores for his artistry.

Plushenko says he is in perfect health and is going for top results this season. "I feel great," he says. "I am ready to compete."

Evgeni won Gold at the "Second stage of Cup of Russia" in Samara, Russia, Oct. 26-27.

Three-time World Champion, Evgeni Plushenko will dedicate his performances in the upcoming "TOGETHER FOR 10 YEARS" exhibition in St. Petersburg to all the victims in Beslan, Russia.

Evgeni will participate in a show in St. Petersburg "Stars on Ice" May 28 and 29. Other Russian skaters appears will be Elena Berezhnaya & Anton Sikharulidze, Irina Slutskaya, Tatyana Navka-Roman Kostomoarov, Tatiana Totmianina & Maxim Marinin, Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikhonov and Alexei Urmanov.

Three-time World Champion Evgeni Plushenko capped a terrific skating season by winning the Marshalls World Skating Challenge over a star-studded field at Providence, Rhode Island.

Evgeni Plushenko won the Gold Medal at the 2004 World Championships in Dortmund, Germany.

Evgeni Plushenko is in first place after the short program at the World Championships at Dortmund, Germany, and is in terrific position to win a third World Gold Medal.

In the Men's qualifying round at the World Championships in Dortmund, Germany, defending champion Evgeni Plushenko is ahead of teammate Ilia Klimkin and Stefan Lindemann of Germany.

2003 World Champion Evgeni Plushenko is in Dortmund, Germany this week, where he will be defending his title.

Two-time World Champion Evgeni Plushenko and will join Anastasia Volochkova, one of Russia’s most famous ballet stars, to produce a music video.

Evgeni skated at the exhibition gala in Sarajevo in memory of the 20th anniversary of the 1984 Olympic Games. He skated to Supertramp "The Logical Song" that he performed first at "Art On Ice". Evgeni skated last in this show.

Evgeni had an off night at the Europeans Championships and wound up in second place.

Evgeni won the 2004 Russian National title and along the way, received 16 6.0s on the competition.

Evgeni Plushenko finished second in a stunning finish at the Grand Prix Finals in Colorado Springs, Colo. The new scoring system, used for the ISU Grand Prix events, appear to have several flaws that might have impacted on Plushenko’s free skate.

Evgeni Plushenko came to Auburn Hills, Michigan, to get an extra workout with his new free skate program that is a tribute to Russian ballet dancer Vaclav Nizhinski.

He tiptoed away with his 13th straight victory and continues to be the skater to beat for years to come.

Evgeni Plushenko assured himself of the No. 1 seed in the Grand Prix Final by winning the Cup of Russia in Moscow.

World Champion and defending Grand Prix Final Champion Evgeni Plushenko is in first place with a four-point lead after the short program at Skate Canada in Mississauga, Ontario.

Evgeni Plushenko may have said he had an injured knee and a bad back but the judges and audience disagreed as the reigning World Champion won the Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Evgeni will join Olympic Champion Viktor Petrenko and other world-class skaters when Viktor hosts a charity skating gala, VIKTORY FOR KIDS, to benefit children who are still being affected by the 1986 nuclear explosion in Chornobyl, Ukraine.

VIKTORY FOR KIDS will be held at the Danbury Ice Arena in Danbury, CT on Saturday, October 4 at 7 p.m.

Petrenko initiated the VIKTORY FOR KIDS campaign in 2001 in a broad-based effort to bring life-saving relief to his homeland. The nuclear disaster in Chornobyl still devastates the lives of people in Ukraine and causing the country to have one of the highest infant mortality rates in Europe.

The first VIKTORY FOR KIDS raised over $100,000 and the funds were used to build a neonatal intensive care unit in the Children’s Hospital in Viktor Petrenko’s hometown of Odessa, Ukraine.

Evgeni Plushenko was among the skaters taking part in a celebration of St. Petersburg’s 300th anniversary on June 6, 2003. READ MORE

Evgeni Plushenko polished off a spectacular skating season when he won the ABC Sports International Figure Skating Challenge April 8 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Plushenko won every amateur competition of the season, including his second World Championship less than two weeks ago.

“I’m so happy to end my season in first place,” Plushenko said. It’s where he finished all his competitions – Worlds, Grand Prix Final, European Championships, Crest Whitestrips Challenge, Cup of Russia and the Bofrost Cup.

"In all my competitions, I won the short program and the free program. All first places is very good."

"I am tired, of course," Plushenko said, "and so happy I win everything this season."

He was the most dominating skater of the season and is among the men favored to dominate the amateurs in year to come.

Evgeni Plushenko found out that winning the World Championship was harder the second time around. But Plushenko's seasoned-experience and artistic skating earned him gold at the World Championships Thursday night in Washington, D.C. He received all 5.9s for presentation.

Plushenko, 20, hit two quadruple jumps and six triples including a quad-triple-double in an opening jump sequence.

"There was a lot of pressure. Tim (Silver Medalist Goebel) skated well…he did two quads. I didn't watch him but I knew what he did," Plushenko said.

Plushenko worked through a sore knee injured four days before the World Championships began. It hindered his mobility most of the week and he mostly practiced and rested. When Plushenko woke up the morning of the free skate his knee was red. His doctor decided against a pain injection and used salve and massage to make his knee as comfortable as possible.

"My knee has been hurting me. I am very tired but I feel great," Plushenko said.

Plushenko skated to "St. Petersburg, 300". He said he was influenced by the movie. "First I watched the movie and then listened to the music. I then thought this would be a good thing to skate to."

Plushenko exhibited his sense of humor throughout the press conference. When asked why he wore a black glove and silver glove he said: "That is my question to the lady who makes my costumes," he laughed.

Just as Plushenko was asked his first question from the media a cell phone rang. Plushenko laughed and mimicked the ring. The room filled with laughter and then some when he looked to his right to see Timothy Goebel apologize for leaving his cell phone on. "That's OK," Plushenko said with a grin, and then continued to answer questions.

And finally when he was answering a question Plushenko briefly with the usage of the English word win and won. When he said "won" and the media laughed with approval, Plushenko said, "I got that right."

Evgeni Plushenko ignored the pain in his left knee and performed a near-flawless program skated to Adagio by T. Albinoni to lead after the short program at the World Figure Skating Championships Tuesday night. Plushenko injured his knee four days ago when he performed a quad lutz, salchow and toe loop in practice.

"I probably tried to do too much," Plushenko said. "It does hurt to walk and skate. I will have to consult my doctor and I may have to receive an injection for pain if it doesn't feel better."

Last year Plushenko had a right knee injury. This year he is taking the injury in stride. "Maybe it is good for me this year,"Plushenko joked. "Last year the right and this year the left." Plushenko skated a clean program but had to hold on to land his triple axel. "I didn't make a mistake," Plushenko said. "My hand or finger tips touched the ice."

Plushenko, the favorite to win his third World Championship, said he had room to improve in the free skate. "I can skate better of course, like in the qualifier," Plushenko said, who won his qualifying round. Plushenko said he isn't convinced the championship is his. "There are a lot of great guys here and it will be tough," Plushenko said.

In the men's qualifying rounds Tuesday at the World Championships in Washington, D.C., Evgeni Plushenko finished first in his group.

Plushenko recorded the only 6.0 in the competition with the remaining artistic scores at 5.9. He received 5.8s and 5.9s for technical merit.

The men's short program is scheduled for Tuesday evening with the free skate scheduled Thursday.

Grand Prix Gold Medalist Evgeni Plushenko will be a strong contender at the 2003 World Figure Skating Championships March 24-30 in Washington, D.C.

The 2003 championships mark the first-time ever this event has been hosted by the U.S. Capital City.

It is also the first time the International Skating Union's premier event has been held on the East Coast of the United States since Hartford in 1981. The competition will draw more than 200 Olympic-eligible skaters from over 40 countries as they compete for four World titles: Ladies, Men, Pairs and Dance.

Evgeni will compete in the final international figure skating competition of the 2002-03 season – ABC Sports International Figure Skating Challenge.

The nationally televised event will be held at Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn., Tuesday, April 8 at 7 p.m.

The competition, sanctioned by the ISU, will feature the top Olympic and World figure skating stars from the U.S. and the world just one week after the 2003 World Figure Skating Championships in Washington, D.C.

The competition will feature a men's and ladies singles individual competition with the athletes each performing one free skate in front of an international panel of five judges. The competitors will compete for top honors in both men's and ladies.

Evgeni is scheduled to compete in the first international figure skating competition of the 2003–04 season -- the Campbell’s International Figure Skating Classic, which will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m.

The competition, sanctioned by the ISU, will feature top Olympic and world figure skating stars from the U.S. and the World. In an early season showdown, the top Olympic-eligible athletes will compete in a men’s and ladies singles individual competition. The athletes will each perform one free skate in front of an international panel of five judges. The competitors will compete for top honors in both men’s and ladies.

Evgeni Plushenko led from start to finish to win his third Gold Medal at the Grand Prix Finals in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Russia. Saturday, March 1.

Since a Pro-Am event in October 2002, Plushenko has won five consecutive competitions. He is among the favorites to contend for the Gold Medal at the World Championships in Washington, D.C., later this month.

Plushenko’s performance in the final free skate was among the most dominant performances ever in the Grand Prix Final. He earned a perfect 6.0 in artistic presentation from five of the nine judges, with the remaining four giving him 5.9. His technical scores were just as overwhelming, with 5.9s from all but one judge.

Plushenko opened a commanding lead the previous day when he skated a solid short program and then topped that off by winning the free skate. "This is a tough format for a competition," Plushenko said. "It was difficult to do the short and free program. My legs felt a bit shaky."

But less than 24 hours later Plushenko was out on the ice again, proving his ranking as one of the top men skaters in the world.

Plushenko said he thought a different format would be more entertaining for the audience. "It would be better and more interesting for the spectators to skate a short, a free and an interpretative program," he said.

Plushenko led after the men's short program. He executed all the jumps, including a quad toe-triple toe, with precision. Plushenko was dominant in his short program. His technical marks included three 5.9s and the rest were 5.7-5.8. Plushenko's technical marks were almost a half point better with every judge over second place countryman Ilia Klimkin.

Evgeni Plushenko landed a quadruple jump and eight triples in a near-perfect program to win his third Gold Medal at the European Championships at Malmoe, Sweden.

Plushenko realized his program was so solid he decided not to try a second quadruple jump or the quad-triple-triple combination. "I want to skate much better," Plushenko said. "I want to do my combination and another quad. Maybe a quad Salchow."

Plushenko’s free skate program was to music composed for him as a tribute to his native St. Petersburg’s 300th anniversary this year. Last year Plushenko emphasized he wanted to add more artistic presence to his technically superior programs. His program also includes fast-paced footwork.

The warmup had Plushenko a little worried. "I missed the flip and loop. But I was able to pull myself together in the competition and I hit hem both," Plushenko said. "That was very positive. I was fighting with myself and I succeeded. What I did was enough for today, but in the future I’ll need to do the quad-triple-triple combination and the second quad, of course."

Plushenko said he lost his form on the quad Salchow in the past few days. "So I didn’t try it today. I had trouble in the warm up."

Plushenko’s next competition is at the Grand Prix Finals in mid-February at St. Petersburg. He ends his competitive season at the World Championships in March in Washington, D.C.

Evgeni will be competing in the 2003 European Championships Jan. 20-26 in Malmo, Sweden.

Evgeni Plushenko won his third straight competition Friday night, Dec. 13, at the Crest Whitestrips International Figure Skating Championships in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Plushenko has now won Crest and his two Grand Prix events - Cup of Russia and Bofrost. He is the top men’s skater in the Grand Prix Final with a perfect 24 points. That event will be held early in 2003 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Plushenko was competing in a field that included Olympic Champion Alexei Yagudin and Olympic Bronze Medalist Timothy Goebel. Goebel finished third and Yagudin was fifth.

Plushenko will now continue training until the European Championships early in 2003.

Collins-Marshall Management (CMM) announces the signing of Olympic Silver Medalist and World Champion Evgeni Plushenko of Russia.

At 20 years old, Evgeni Plushenko has established himself as a dominant force in men’s figure skating. He won his first World medal at 15, when he captured the Bronze at the 1998 World Championships. Since then, Evgeni has topped the ranks winning every Grand Prix event with the exception of the Grand Prix final in 2002, where he placed second.

Evgeni is the first skater to ever land a quad-triple-triple combination in competition, his signature combination jump and a feat that has not yet been challenged by another skater.

Evgeni trains in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Russia with renowned coach Alexei Mishin.

"We are very happy to add Evgeni to the CMM family," said Michael Collins, principal of Collins-Marshall Management. "He is extraordinarily talented and continually brings audiences to their feet."

Evgeni began this season winning both Grand Prix events he entered, one in Germany and the other in Russia. He will attempt to defend his World title at the 2003 World Championships in Washington D.C. in March and then will join the Chevy Champions on Ice 25th Anniversary figure skating tour.

"Evgeni is one of the most powerful skaters I have ever seen," said Ari Zakarian. "I brought him to CMM because I believe it is the best company to represent a skater of this caliber."

Evgeni Plushenko, the 2002 Olympic Silver Medalist, had a strong start to the 2002-2003 skating season.

He won Gold at Cup of Russia in Moscow, where he received a perfect 6 for technical merit after a routine highlighted by a quadruple toe-triple toe-triple loop combination.

At the Campbell's International figure Skating Classic at Daytona Beach, Fla. in October, Plushenko finished second in a star-studded field.

Evgeni Plushenko has qualified for the Grand Prix Final. He is also the top men's qualifier.

Plushenko, who recently signed with CMM Skating, won his two qualifying events – Nations Cup in Germany and Cup of Russia.

Evgeni will be among the World and Olympic competitors in the Crest Whitestrips International Figure Skating Challenge to be held at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich., Friday, December 13 at 8 p.m.

Also competing in the men's division will be Alexei Yagudin, Tim Goebel, Michael Weiss and Matt Savoie.

The Crest Whitestrips International Figure Skating Challenge is sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA). The top Olympic-eligible athletes will compete in a men’s and ladies singles competition. The athletes will each perform one free skate in front of an international panel of five judges. The competitors will challenge for top honors in both men’s and ladies. The competition will be nationally broadcast by ABC Sports on Saturday, December 14 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST.

Evgeni Plushenko was on hand in August for Alexei Mishin's annual European figure skating camp.

The site was Jaca, Spain and participants included many of the top European skaters and coaches.

Also on hand as was Plushenko's new choreographer, Kiril Simonov, who created Plushenko's short and long programs for the upcoming season. Ari Zakarian assisted Mishin, as well as holding his own classes.