Urmanov chose to remain in the competitive ranks. He became the 1997 European champion, but an injury forced him out of the 1997 World Championships after the short program and kept him from competing for a berth to the 1998 Olympics. He retired from Olympic-eligible skating in 1999 and won the World Professional Championships the same year. Urmanov was coached by Alexei Mishin at the Yubileyny Sports Palace in Saint Petersburg.