Yevgeny Plushenko, a four-time Olympic figure skating medalist who hasn’t competed since the Sochi Winter Games, needs another back surgery and will likely miss the 2015-16 season, according to Russian reports.
“He has been diagnosed with a crack in an intervertebral disc,” Russian figure skating president Alexander Gorshkov said, according to Russian news agency TASS. “Obviously, he would skip the season. As I understand, the nature of Plushenko’s injury allows him living normally, practicing and skating, but without any serious loads. It is undoubtedly impossible to imagine men’s single figure skating without them [serious loads].”
Plushenko, 32, won Olympic silver in 2002, gold in 2006, silver in 2010 and team event gold in 2014, his last competition.
Plushenko had March 2014 back surgery, returned to training that May and performed in ice shows starting last summer.
In February 2014, Plushenko had announced his retirement after withdrawing before the Olympic men’s short program due to his injured back.
Later that month, he went back on the retirement announcement.
“If need be, I’ll have another 10 operations … I’m not ruling out that I’ll go for a fifth Olympic Games,” he told Reuters during the Sochi Olympics. “I am not ruling out that I want stay in sports, to prove [something] to many [people] and myself.”
Plushenko was re-added to the Russian national team ahead of this season but was not entered in any Grand Prix competitions.
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