Putin offers condolences to Yevgeny Plushenko
Vladimir Putin is not pleased with the Olympic judges who awarded Russian figure skater Yevgeny Plushenko a silver medal, instead of a gold, after Thursday night’s free skate. On Friday, Putin sent Plushenko a telegram offering his support to the Russian skater. “Accept my heartfelt congratulations,” Putin wrote, adding that Plushenko’s silver medal was “worth a gold medal.” Meanwhile, Plushenko is also miffed at what he believes was his unfair treatment at hands of judges. After the medal ceremony, he threatened to quit professional figure skating for good: “I am not prepared to skate well and lose. This is men’s figure skating—not ice dancing.” The men’s gold was nabbed by American skater Evan Lysacekv who, unlike Plushenko, did not include a quad jump in his long performance.