Russian Figure Skater Evgeni Plushenko Withdraws From Sochi Winter Olympics Because Of Back Pain

In an unexpected turn of events, Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko withdrew from the competition just moments before he was to perform. Earlier in a warm-up, he performed a triple axle jump and seemed to be in pain as he landed. In mid-2013, he underwent surgery to replace a disc in his back. The prolific skater has had 12 surgeries in all. He decided against risking further injury and bowed out of the Sochi Olympics. Earlier in the 2014 games, he brought home Russia’s first gold medal of the Olympic season.

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