Seven-time European champion Yevgeny Plushenko’s coach Alexei Mishin made a personal appeal to the Russian authorities to secure a Russian visa for the figure skating star’s new choreographer, Mishin told RIA Novosti on Friday.
The choreographer, four-time Italian champion skater Pasquale Camerlengo, was originally refused a visa with an invitation from the Russian Skating Federation, but Mishin’s intervention led to him receiving a visa in minutes, he said.
"I wrote a personal letter to the Russian consul. I asked him to give Camerlengo the visa and let him work with my pupil, because it would strengthen the friendship between our countries and contribute to the Olympic Games preparations,” Mishin said.
“After that letter Camerlengo was given the visa in 15 minutes and the following day flew to Moscow."
Camerlengo and Plushenko started work Thursday on a new program for next season in Russia, Mishin said.
"We were working for two hours yesterday. Today we are going to spend together two hours more and after that Camerlengo will return to Italy. We find the whole process very exciting."
Plushenko, 29, won three Olympic medals, three world titles and seven European titles, in a career punctuated by two lengthy breaks from skating.
He returned to the sport in late 2011 after a period away due to injuries and suspension, and has since won gold at the 2012 European championships and Russian national championships. Pluschenko decided to miss the world championships in Nice in March, opting to have much-needed surgery on his knee instead.
Camerlengo has worked with many of the sport’s top names, including leading skaters Daisuke Takahashi and Michal Brezina.
