Evgeny Plushenko takes to the ice at the European Figure Skating Championships on Monday for his first international competition since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Plushenko, the 2006 Olympic champion, is using the European championships as a stepping stone to the Sochi Olympics in 2014, when he hopes to end his career with a flourish.
Plushenko returned to domestic competition in December, winning the Russian national championships in Saransk against largely unheralded opponents with an untidy performance.
His opponents in Sheffield remained wary despite the rustiness of the six-time European champion.
"Plushenko would not be coming back if he were not ready to win again," 2007 world champion Brian Joubert told icenetwork.com.
The 29-year-old Plushenko has been absent from the international circuit since Vancouver due to a disqualification over a breach of amateur competition rules and various injuries.
He received special dispensation from skating authorities to take part in Sheffield after failing to accrue enough points in competition this season, but must negotiate Monday's qualifying round - unfamiliar territory for Plushenko.
A top-10 finish will earn passage to Wednesday's final.
