Evgeni Plushenko wins short program at Rostelecom Cup to get comeback off to strong start

Plushenko leads after Rostelecom short program

MOSCOW — Evgeni Plushenko’s comeback is off to a strong start, with the Olympic champion winning the short program at the Rostelecom Cup.

Plushenko scored 82.25 points Friday in his first international competition since winning gold at the Turin Games, putting him almost seven points ahead of Japan’s Takahiko Kozuka. Johnny Weir of the United States was third after struggling through his opening jumps.

In ice dance, American champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White have a solid five-point lead after the compulsories, followed by Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy and Russia’s Ekaterina Rubleva and Ivan Shefer.