Three-time medalist Evgeni Plushenko grabbed the spotlight in the men’s portion of

Three-time medalist Evgeni Plushenko grabbed the spotlight in the men’s portion of the new event of team figure skating at the Sochi Olympics.

The Russians romped to win by more than 10 points after Plushenko finished second to Japan’s rising star, Yuzuru Hanyu.

The 19-year-old Japanese skater was smoother and more intricate with his footwork. His jumps were massive — he nearly crossed the width of the ice on his triple axel — and his spins were exquisite.

When he finished, Hanyu bowed to teammates celebrating in the cheering section set aside for them behind the end boards. While awaiting the marks, his teammates joined him in the kiss-and-cry area, dancing behind Hanyu before his 97.98 points hit the scoreboard.

Still, even he knew who was the night’s star: “He was my hero,” Hanyu said of Plushenko. “That’s why I was happy to skate here with him.”

Hanyu’s coach, Brian Orser, helped Yuna Kim win the 2010 Olympic gold, but was perplexed about how to approach the team competition.

“It’s so strange for all of us, for the athletes, for the coaches,” said Orser, a two-time Olympic silver medalist. “You want your athlete to nail it. You can’t tell them to hold back.”

Canada’s three-time world champion Patrick Chan struggled and was third. The United States was seventh because of tiebreakers after a poor showing by Jeremy Abbott, but got a fifth-place finish from its pair, Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir.

He just looks like he’s so in love with the sport and having so much fun on the ice!

You can watch Hanyu’s Short Program here! He’s like a rock star on ice!