AVON, Conn. -- Olympic gold medalist Alexei Yagudin was charged Sunday with drunken driving after being pulled over for speeding.

Yagudin, 23, who trains at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in nearby Simsbury, was driving his 2003 Mercedes when he was stopped by an Avon police officer at about 12:40 a.m. The four-time world champion was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, traveling too fast and making an improper lane change without signaling.

Yagudin was released on a $250 bond. He is to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Sept. 10.

Sgt. Ronald Welch said an officer saw Yagudin driving at a high speed above the 40 mph speed limit. He said Yagudin's exact speed was undetermined.

Welch declined to say how police determined Yagudin was intoxicated, whether it was from a blood-alcohol test or a field sobriety exam. He would only say the skater's blood-alcohol content level was above the legal threshold of 0.08.

Police said Yagudin was cooperative. He was released two hours after his arrest.

Yagudin, who was born in Russia, could not be reached for comment. A message was left with his agent.

In 1999, the Russian Skating Federation put Yagudin on probation for one year for improper behavior during the Champions on Ice tour. Doctors in Russia who examined him rejected speculation Yagudin's disorderly behavior was caused by heavy drinking.

Yagudin, then 19, was thrown off the Champions tour after cursing a member of the media. Before that, he made off-color remarks to a security guard at an ice show in New York.

In the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Yagudin received four 6.0 scores. No other man in Olympic history ever earned more than one perfect mark.

Yagudin missed last season with a hip injury, but is planning to compete this season.