Evgeni Plushenko Withdraws From Olympics After Warm-Up Injury

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Jevgeni Pluschenko from Russia in action during the TV Show ARD Gala on Ice at the SAP Arena on November 12, 2005 in Mannheim, Germany.

Image: Volker Dziemballa/Bongarts/Getty Images

By Sam Laird2014-02-13 16:58:50 UTC

Russian figure-skating legend Evgeny Plushenko withdrew from the Winter Olympics on Thursday night after injuring himself during warm-ups for the men's short program competition he was about to skate in. It likely marks the end of his storied career.

The move isn't a total surprise, however — Plushenko was known to be battling injuries entering the Sochi games after a career's worth of surgeries. He already won a gold medal in the team figure skating competition earlier this week and the men's contest's deep field of skaters meant medaling there would have been a stretch.

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Nonetheless, Plushenko's withdrawal is a big deal, particularly in Russia, where he is among the host country's most famous athletes. The 31-year-old won the men's competition at the 2006 Olympics, is a three-time gold medalist in figure skating's world championships and a seven-time European figure skating champion.

On Thursday, he landed awkwardly while attempting a triple-axel in warm-ups. When he came on to the ice for his run in the men's short program he was visibly hampered. Instead of beginning his routine, he spoke to the referee, waved to the home fans and exited the ice. Russian fans rained bouquets of flowers down on the ice as a grimacing Plushenko conferred with coaches.

The men's figure skating competition consists of Thursday's short program, then Friday's longer free skate. The skater with the best combined score wins.

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Topics: Entertainment, Olympics, Sports