Canada’s Patrick Chan is sitting in second place after the men’s short program figure skating in Sochi.
Chan skated cleanly, with only a slight wobble on one jump, and achieved a score of 97.52. Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, who got top marks in the team short program, broke the short program world record, which he held, with a score of 101.45 and qualified in first place.
The big story of the event, however, was Russian star Evgeny Plyushchenko’s decision not to skate after hurting himself during the warmup, aggravating an injury he sustained Wednesday. He said it felt like “a knife in my back.” Shortly afterward, in the middle of the event, he announced his retirement from the sport.
Plyushchenko was widely considered a medal favourite, having won gold in Turin and silver in Vancouver and Salt Lake City. He was Russia’s only skater in the event, meaning Russia lost its chance at the podium.
Canadian Kevin Reynolds also qualified for the free skate, getting a score of 68.76, despite falling during his skate.
He didn’t fall as hard as American Jeremy Abbott, though. Abbott slipped on his quadruple jump, slamming his hip into the ice. He lay in obvious pain, clutching his side, for roughly ten seconds before getting up to complete his program. Despite this, Abbott also qualified for the free skate, with a score of 72.58.
The free program starts Friday, Feb. 14 at 10a.m. Eastern Time (7 a.m. Pacific).
With files from the Associated Press
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