SOCHI, Russia — Evgeny Plyushchenko’s Olympics are over and so is his competitive career.
The Russian figure-skating star retired today just after he withdrew from the men’s event at the Sochi Olympics for medical reasons.
The 31-year-old is the only modern-era figure skater to win medals in four Olympics.
He helped Russia win the team gold over the weekend.
Plyushchenko says “I think it’s God saying, ‘Evgeni, enough, enough with skating.’ “
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He says he’s had 12 surgeries and that he’d like to be healthy.
Plyushchenko fell on a triple axel in warmups before the short program and said it felt like a knife in his back.
He skated toward his coaches while bent over, then tried to loosen up by skating around the Iceberg rink some more.
He then attempted another axel and botched it, shook his head and consulted with coach Alexei Mishin.
When Plyushchenko’s name was announced to the crowd seconds later, to loud applause, he skated to the event referee and withdrew.
Before leaving the ice, he held up both hands to the crowd as if to say he was sorry, and took a small bow.
He was Russia’s only man in the competition, so the host country will have no finisher in the event.
Plyushchenko had finished second in the team short program and first in the free skate, helping Russia to its first gold of the Sochi Games.
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