2.Fame(стр.4) Evgeni Plushenko is an Olympic Champion, World Champion, European Champion, Grand Prix Champion and National Champion. Name: Evgeni Viktorovich Plushenko (Zhenya) Date of Birth: 3rd November, 1982 Birthplace: Solnechni in the Khabarovsk region in Siberia (moved to Volgograd when he was 3) Family: Father - Viktor; Mother - Tatiana; Sister - Elena Pets: A bulldog called Golden and a Persian cat Hometown: St Petersburg (moved from Volgograd when he was 11) Home Club/Coach: Yubileiny Sport Club; Alexei Nickolaevich Mishin Best Personal Scores: 258.33; Short - 90.66; Free Skate - 167.67 (Olympics 2006) Young Evgeni began life next to the railroad in a house his father built. He was a sickly child and, after Evgeni spent three months in hospital with double pneumonia, his parents decided to move to Volgograd. When Evgeni joined his first skating group, his health quickly improved, but being the youngest meant he still had many difficulties to overcome. He used to cry when he fell on the hard ice, unable to get up again. However, Evgeni persevered and won his first competition when he was seven at the Crystal Skate Tournament in Samara. Evgeni was obviously very talented, but his career almost ended in 1993 when the local ice rink closed. Although he was only eleven years old, Evgeni was When Evgeni joined his first skating group, his health quickly improved, but being the youngest meant he still had many difficulties to overcome. He used to cry when he fell on the hard ice, unable to get up again. However, Evgeni persevered and won his first competition when he was seven at the Crystal Skate Tournament in Samara. Evgeni was obviously very talented, but his career almost ended in 1993 when the local ice rink closed. Although he was only eleven years old, Evgeni was determined to pursue his dream even if it meant living alone in St Petersburg. Training with Alexei Mishin, young Evgeni ignored the teasing from older kids as he learned how to perform the quad toe loop and the Biellmann spin. In 1998, fifteen-year-old Evgeni won the World Junior Championships and finished 3'° in the Senior World Championships. A string of victories followed, and by 2006, Evgeni had won every major championship except one. Having recovered from a serious injury, Evgeni finally won the Olympic gold medal in Turin, setting new personal bests for each phase of the competition. The dream has come true, but where will he go from here? For a true champion like Evgeni Plushenko, victory is only a beginning. Write to Spotlight on Russia about your favourite sporting hero. Tell us what you most admire about your hero and don't forget to send in any pictures you have.