Back injury sidelines Evgenia Medvedeva on eve of Rostelecom Cup

Two-time Olympic figure skating silver medallist Evegnia Medvedeva will not participate in this weekend’s Rostelecom Cup, according to news reports.

Medvedeva, who dominated in the sport leading into the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, has still not recovered from a back injury that kept her out of domestic competitions earlier this year. President of the Russian Figure Skating Federation Alexander Gorshkov announced the withdrawal Monday, per TASS.

Medvedeva’s back troubles come as she settles into her return to training with Eteri Tutberidze after spending nearly two years in Toronto under the guidance of coach Brian Orser.

"She and I agree if there was no pandemic, we would not be having this discussion right now,” Orser said in September.

When the Rostelecom Cup does get underway on Friday, it will be a showcase of Russia’s powerhouse of talent in women’s figure skating. With Grand Prix events limited to athletes from or who live in the host country, fans will see Alena Kostornaia, Anna Shcherbakova, and Alexandra Trusova, who swept the medals at January’s European Championships, battle for the title.

2015 World and European champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva is also slated to participate.