“Alena did not withdraw from the box office, we planned to skate only the short program and did not prepare to perform in the free program.
Due to the fact that we have only recently started working together, it takes time.
The short one is ready, the free one is being completed.
If we remember everything, Alena just came to me a month ago.
It came in zero form, so we started from the very beginning, "RIA Novosti quoted Plushenko as saying.
He stressed that Kostornaya's preparation for the competition is proceeding normally and is going according to plan, but the free program is in its raw form.
Kostornaya is the European champion and winner of the Grand Prix finals last season.
The 17-year-old athlete moved to Evgeni Plushenko's academy this summer from the Eteri Tutberidze group.
Earlier, Plushenko explained the removal of Kostornaya from the test rentals of the Russian national team.