“The story of Plushenko at the Sochi Olympics is not the most beautiful page” – Rodnina

The story of the skater’s refusal Evgenia Plushenko participating in the singles tournament of the Olympic Games in Sochi is not the most beautiful, because its strengths and abilities have clearly not been calculated, said the three-time Olympic champion, State Duma deputy in an interview with Irina Rodnina .

The Olympic Games in Sochi took place from February 7 to 23, 2014. In the team competitions, Plushenko became Olympic champion, after which he withdrew from the singles tournament due to back pain.

— Many expected a medal from Plushenko in men’s individual skating, but he withdrew from the competition.

— I had certain doubts about Plushenko, because an athlete of a given age could withstand such a big tournament thanks to his personal and collective performances. This story is not a pretty page. On the one hand, Plushenko and the team received a gold medal, on the other hand, his strengths and abilities in personal competitions were clearly not calculated.

— Would it then be more logical to take Kovtun, qualified for the Olympic Games?

– I don’t know which is more logical. The federation makes the decision, it takes into account who is in what condition. I don’t work as a coach and I can’t say in what condition Kovtun was then, whether it was possible to count on him. I don’t know how Zhenya behaved in this situation, what guarantees her coach gave or did not give.

— Lipnitskaya became only fifth in single skating. Is this a tragedy considering his crushing victory in the team tournament?

– What is the tragedy here? She had never competed in a senior world championship before. If we have such an experienced fighter as Zhenya Plushenko who could not survive two tournaments – and this is very difficult both physically and psychologically – then what can you ask Lipnitskaya? It’s clear that we always want medals, gold. If you want, you have to fight. There is no tragedy in the fact that Lipnitskaya made mistakes in the singles tournament,” Rodnina said in an interview with .