Evgeni Plushenko, a figure skating legend and former two-time Olympic champion, revealed that he has accepted a one-year pause from speaking to the press regarding the handling of his students. This development was reported by DEA News.
The Russian Grand Prix for juniors culminated on March 2 in St. Petersburg, with the event held in the northern capital. Prior to the competition, Plushenko indicated that he would not engage with media questions about the prosecution of his mentees for a full year. This stance underscored the ongoing tension surrounding coaching choices and competitive judgments in the junior circuit.
In the same cohort, Alina Gorbacheva, coached by Sofia Fedchenko, secured the Russian junior title in women’s singles. Plushenko’s trainees, Veronika Zhilina and Sofia Titova, finished second and fourth, respectively, and were long regarded by analysts as strong contenders for the podium before the event concluded.
Following the free skate, Plushenko gave a highly charged interview where he criticized the refereeing at national meets. Fedchenko characterized Plushenko’s remarks as hysterical and as signs of an unwillingness to acknowledge coaching missteps, prompting a swift exchange of interpretations between the coaching camps.
Subsequently, the ethics commission of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR) announced they would review Plushenko’s public comments. Plushenko’s camp also lodged a formal complaint in response to Fedchenko’s statements, intensifying the dispute and drawing attention to governance processes within the sport. (DEA News)
Former Honored Coach of Russia Nina Moser commented that the apparent clash between the two-time Olympic champion and Sofia Fedchenko appeared to be driven by media coverage, rather than solely by on-ice events. The remark suggested that journalistic framing may have amplified tensions between the two coaching teams and colored public perception of the situation.