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Evgeni Plushenko

Evgeni Viktorovich Plushenko (also Romanized as Yevgeny Viktorovich Plyushchenko) (; born November 3, 1982 in Solnechny, Khabarovsk Krai, Soviet Union (Russia) is a Russian figure skater, the seven-time National Champion, five-time European Champion, three-time World Champion, 2006 Winter Olympics gold medalist, and four-time Grand Prix Final gold medalist.


Latest News[]

Videos[]

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Evgeni Plushenko - Free Program - Torino 2006 Evgeni Plushenko Tribute to Vaclav Nijinsky
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Trivia[]

Quotes[]

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Biography[]

Early career[]

Evgeni Plushenko started skating at age four. When he was eleven years old, his ice rink in Volgograd closed. He was then sent to Saint Petersburg to train under the tutelage of Alexei Mishin.

Plushenko made quick progress on the international scene under Mishin's tutelage. As a 14-year-old, he won the 1997 World Junior Figure Skating Championships. The following year, at 15, he finished third at the senior World Figure Skating Championships. At the time, Mishin was also coaching another rising teenage star, Alexei Yagudin, who won the World Championships in 1998, and Yagudin and Plushenko developed a fierce rivalry. Yagudin finally decided to leave Mishin and eventually was coached by Tatiana Tarasova, but the rivalry between the two skaters continued throughout the years as they repeatedly battled it out for major titles.

2002 Olympics[]

At the 2002 Winter Olympics, Plushenko and Yagudin were considered co-favorites. Yagudin skated a flawless short program to a standing ovation and finished the night in 1st place. Plushenko, however, botched his quad-triple combination and finished 4th in the short program. He skated a strong free skate to "Carmen" and pulled up to finish in 2nd place overall; Yagudin received the highest free skate marks under the 6.0 system in the history of Olympic competition, and won the gold medal easily.

2002 - 2006[]

After Yagudin's retirement, Plushenko won most of competitions he entered in the following four years. He finished second only twice. The first time was to Emanuel Sandhu at the 2004 Grand Prix Final. The second was the 2004 European Champion, where he lost to Brian Joubert. He suffered through a difficult 2005, when was forced to withdraw from the 2005 World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow after the short program due to injury, and did not even compete at the Grand Prix Final. He eventually required groin surgery. He underwent groin surgery to correct the problem in Munich, Germany in spring 2005.

On June 18, 2005, Plushenko married Maria Ermak in a lavish ceremony at the Hotel Astoria in St. Petersburg. His wife studies sociology at the University of St. Petersburg. Their first child, a son named Egor Evgenievich (originally Kristian), was born on June 15, 2006. However, they separated not long afterwards and divorced in February 2008.

Going into the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Plushenko was the overwhelming favorite because of his past success under the new ISU Judging System which was now in use. Plushenko skated two solid programs and became the Olympic champion. He finished the short program ten points ahead of his closest rival, setting a new ISU record for the short program. His free skate was just as strong, and also set a new ISU record. Plushenko's free skating music was especially arranged for him by violinist Edvin Marton.

2006 - present[]

Plushenko took a break from competitive skating following the 2006 Olympic season. He has said the off season has helped him rest and recover from past knee injuries he has battled.

After seeing the poor results of Russian skaters in the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships (which was the worst since 1960), Plushenko was worried about Russia losing its status as a dominant force in figure skating, and was also concerned that Russia might even lose spots for its skaters in the 2010 Winter Olympics. He announced in April 2007 that he has decided to return to competitive skating for the 2007-2008 season, to keep Russia at a competitive level with other countries until the next generation of Russian skaters can take over. Plushenko has since delayed his return indefinitely.

Plushenko has also stated that he plans to compete in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

In 2008 Plushenko, together with violinist Edvin Marton, accompanied Dima Bilan on stage as part of the winning Eurovision Song Contest performance "Believe (Dima Bilan song)" in Belgrade, Serbia. Plushenko skated on stage as part of the performance.

Achievements[]

Plushenko's technical achievements are numerous. He is one of the few male skaters to perform the Biellmann spin. He was the first skater in the world to perform a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop-double loop jump (4-3-2) combination in competition, at the 1999 NHK Trophy (he has since landed his 4-3-2 combination 26 times so far). He is the first skater to land a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop-triple loop (4-3-3) combination in competition, at the Cup of Russia 2002 (he has since landed his 4-3-3 combination four times so far). Plushenko is also the first skater to land a triple toe loop-triple toe loop-triple loop-double loop (3-3-3-2) combination, which was at the 2005 "Ard Gala". At the European Championships, he landed a six jump combination (3-3-2-2-2-2) in his exhibition program. He has landed a four jump combination; 4 toe loop-3 toe loop-2 loop-2 loop, at the World Championships in 2001. Plushenko has landed a consistent quadruple toe loop in competition, and has also landed a quadruple salchow in Samara, Russia at the 2004 "Second stage of Cup of Russia". It is estimated that he has landed a total of about 100 quads in competition. Plushenko is also one of few figure skaters to have landed quadruple loops and quadruple lutzes in practice, but has never completed either of them in competition.

At the age of 16, Plushenko was the youngest male skater to ever receive a perfect score of 6.0. He received a total of seventy five 6.0s before the new Code of Points judging system was introduced.

Programs[]

Season Short Program Free Skating Exhibition
2005-2006 Tosca
by Giacomo Puccini
The Godfather
by Edvin Marton
2004-2005 Moonlight Sonata
by Beethoven
The Godfather
by Edvin Marton
2003-2004 Tango Flamenco
by Paco de Lucia
Nyah
by Hans Zimmer
Tribute to Vaslav Nijinsky - Art on Ice; Magic Stradivarious; King of the Forrest
by Edvin Marton
Logical Song
by Supertramp
2002-2003 Adagio Albinoni
by Tomaso Albinoni / Remo Giazotto
St. Petersburg 300
by Igor Korniliuk
Carmen Suite
by Georges Bizet / Rodion Shchedrin

Only you
by The Platters

2001-2002 Earth Song, Childhood, Billy Jean, They Don't Care About Us
by Michael Jackson
Carmen Suite
by Georges Bizet and Rodion Shchedrin
Fixe; Eclipse
by Cirque du Soleil
El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge Soundtrack
La Petite Fille de la Mer
by Vangelis Papathanassiou
Sex Bomb
by Tom Jones and Mousse T
Carmen Suite
by Georges Bizet / Rodion Shchedrin
2000-2001 Bolero
by Maurice Ravel
Xotica
by Rene Dupere
Tango from Hasta que te conoci
by Raul Di Blasio
Once Upon A Time In America
by Ennio Morricone
Cotton Club
by Duke Ellington
Mortal Kombat
by George S. Clinton
Pasadena: Maywood lyrics. Album unknown
Sex Bomb
by Tom Jones and Mousse T
1999-2000 The Sabre Dance
by Aram Ilich Khachaturian
Dark Eyes


Coachmen Don't Drive the Horse
Concierto Madrigal for Two Guitars
by Joaquin Rodrigo

Two Step Nadya
Ciocarlia
1998-1999 Hava Nagila
by various artists
Chronologie 2, 3; Zoolookologie
by Jean Michel Jarre
Two Step Nadya
Ciocircla
1997-1998 Concierto d' Aranjuez; El Gato Montes
by Joaquin Rodrigo
Chronologie 2, 3; Zoolookologie
by Jean Michel Jarre
Chronologie 2, 3
Zoolookologie
Enigma
1996-1997 Tarantella
by Witold Lutosławski


Santa Lucia
by Luigi Gordigiani

William Tell Overture; The Barber of Seville
by Gioachino Rossini
1995-1996 Don Quixote
by Leon Minkus

Competitive highlights[]

Event 1995-1996 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006
Winter Olympic Games 2nd 1st
World Championships 3rd 2nd 4th 1st 1st 1st WD
European Champion 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st 2nd 1st 1st
World Junior Championships 6th 1st
Russian Championships 6th 4th 3rd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
Grand Prix Final 5th 3rd 1st 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st
Cup of Russia 4th 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
Skate Canada 1st 1st
Trophee Lalique 1st
NHK Trophy 1st 1st 1st
Bofrost Cup on Ice 1st 1st 1st 1st
Skate America 2nd
Finlandia Trophy 7th 3rd 1st
Blue Swords 1st
figure skater 1st
Goodwill Games 2nd 1st
  • WD = Withdrew

References[]


External links[]

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