Injured Plushenko calls time
Two-time gold medallist Yevgeny Plushenko dramatically announced his retirement from figure skating after withdrawing from the Winter Olympics with a back injury on Thursday in a move which stunned the host nation.
"Amateur sport is finished for me. Maybe not in the way that I wanted. But I leave with a gold medal, that is also great," the 31-year-old told Russia's Channel One.
"This is not how I wanted to end my career," he said after pulling out before he was due to compete in the men's figure skating short program.
The veteran had taken to the ice for the six-minute warm-up before the start of the men's event where he was bidding to become the first man to win five Olympic figure skating medals after already helping his team to gold.
But with two minutes, 25 seconds to go, he tried a triple axel and stumbled out of it.
The 2006 Olympic champion then skated around the rink holding his back before unsuccessfully trying the jump again.
Plushenko, who was the first up to skate in his group, went over to the referee Mona Jonsson shaking his head, and it was announced that he was withdrawing from the competition.
"I am sorry for my fans and for everybody, but I tried till the end. I almost cried. It's hard, believe me. I am very disappointed. But I tried to do my best," he explained.
"Yesterday, I fell on the quad toe in training and I felt a problem in my back. Today I went into training to see what I could do but I couldn't jump."
It was a second comeback in Sochi for Plushenko who had retired first after winning gold in Turin in 2006, and again after taking silver behind American Evan Lysacek in Vancouver in 2010.
He also won silver in Salt Lake City in 2002.
"I see my future in show performances. But I need to treat my back, it is worrying me very much."
Plushenko underwent back surgery last year, the latest in twelve operations he had endured over the years on his back and knees.
