Evgeni Plushenko: “When you see the Olympic flags, you immediately get nervous! You have to fight that.” and “Mailin is doing quad axel, it’s unbelievable! Can you imagine how far he’s gone? I really hope he stays mentally strong.”

Evgeni Plushenko shares his perspective on the upcoming Milan Olympics, the challenges for Russian skaters, the rise of Ilia Malinin, and the importance of competing – even under a neutral flag.

original source: Sport Express 2nd February 2026 by Dmitrii Barulev and Mikele Antonov

Reporters from “SE” met with Evgeni Plushenko to talk about the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan. Here’s a translation of his comments.

“The Olympics are starting soon. How do you assess the chances for Russian athletes?

Evgeni Plushenko: I’ve been to four Olympics. They are completely different competitions – not like the European Championships, Russian Championships, or Grand Prix. When you see the Olympic flags, you immediately get nervous! You have to fight that. If you haven’t been to the Olympics, you can’t understand. On the other hand, it’s a real celebration! At my first Olympics, I met Pavel Bure, Alexei Zhamnov, and other hockey players! You start talking, making friends, fireworks, opening and closing ceremonies! Thousands of the greatest athletes.

And you have to be able to distance yourself from all of that. You walk through the Olympic Village: a huge dining hall where you see all the athletes. By the time you’ve chatted and greeted everyone… You need to create the right bubble around yourself. That’s something I lacked at my first Olympics. We arrived a month before Salt Lake. Why – we still don’t know. At the second and third Olympics, acclimatization was much quicker.

We have good guys competing in Milan. If they can handle it, they’ll get worthy results. The competition is very tough now, especially in men’s skating. Malinin is doing a four-and-a-half rotation jump! The Japanese and Europeans also have quads now. So it will be hard for both Petrosyan and Gumennik to make the top three.

Q: Are you personally most interested in watching Ilia Malinin?

Evgeni Plushenko: Yes, I am. Especially since my agent, Ari Zakarian, who I’ve worked with since I was 15, is also his agent. We’re in touch every day, talking. I’ve competed with Ilia’s parents since childhood; we were at training camps together. I know them very well. I’m very glad they raised their son to such a high level. He was the first on the planet to do a four-and-a-half rotation jump. It’s unbelievable! No one even knew it was possible. I thought it would happen later. I’ll say more – Ilia is working on a quintuple. Can you imagine how far he’s gone? I really hope he stays mentally strong.

Q: There’s been another discussion about whether our athletes should go to the Olympics under neutral status and whether the 2026 Games should be broadcast in Russia.

Evgeni Plushenko: They absolutely should! I have a friend in the State Duma who called me and asked me to support the idea that our athletes shouldn’t go to the competitions. I replied, “Are you kidding me?!” I’ve been an athlete all my life. I was lucky to participate in four Olympics, and for some, it’s impossible to get there. They absolutely must go – even under a neutral flag. Everyone knows where we’re from and who we represent.

Q: Did you try to change your friend’s mind?

Evgeni Plushenko: He has his own position. Unfortunately, there are many people who don’t understand what elite sport is. I was lucky – I got to skate until I was 31.”

Related topics: Evgeni Plushenko, Ilia Malinin, Olympic Games