MOSCOW, October 15 (R-Sport) - Like any great performer nearing the end of his career, Turin Olympic figure skating champion Evgeni Plushenko is readying a greatest hits compilation, only with one important difference – he plans to skate his at next year's Winter Games in Sochi.
Plushenko's free program for the Sochi Olympics will be called "The Best of Plushenko," his coach Alexei Mishin said Tuesday, but its success depends on the 30-year-old Russian recovering from a back injury in time for the February 7-23 Games.
"This composition includes the best fragments from his past programs," Mishin said. "On the other hand, the step plan and the overall choreography meet modern requirements."
The short program has also been agreed, Mishin said, but Plushenko "is not yet ready to skate it in competition conditions."
Plushenko last competed while chasing an eighth European championship title in January, but was forced to withdraw mid-competition with a back injury.
Qualifying for the Russian Olympic team will be decided at the national championships in December, although Plushenko is thought to have guaranteed the host nation's only spot in the singles category.
