Alexander Smirnov (figure skater)

Alexander Smirnov
Kavaguti and Smirnov at the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final
Personal information
Full name	Alexander Viktorovich Smirnov
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1984-10-11) 11 October 1984 (age 32) Tver, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Home town	Tver, Russia
Residence	Saint Petersburg, Russia
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Partner	Yuko Kavaguti
Former partner	Alexandra Danilova Ekaterina Vasilieva
Coach	Tamara Moskvina
Former coach	Nikolai Velikov, Lyudmila Smirnova, Igor Moskvin
Choreographer	Peter Tchernyshev
Former choreographer	Alexander Matveev, Natalia Bestemianova, Tatiana Druchinina, Igor Bobrin, Ivan Kozlov
Skating club	Yubileyny
Began skating	1988
World standing	5 (As of 3 February 2015[update])
Season's bests	7 (2012–2013) 4 (2011–2012) 4 (2010–2011) 3 (2009–2010) 4 (2008–2009)
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	216.00 2015 Cup of China
Short program	76.02 2015 Mordovian Ornament
Free skate	143.55 2015 Cup of China
Medal record Representing  Russia Figure skating: Pairs World Championships 2009 Los Angeles Pairs 2010 Turin Pairs European Championships 2010 Tallinn Pairs 2015 Stockholm Pairs 2009 Helsinki Pairs 2011 Bern Pairs 2008 Zagreb Pairs Grand Prix Final 2011–12 Quebec Pairs 2015–16 Barcelona Pairs

Alexander Viktorovich Smirnov (Russian: Александр Викторович Смирнов, born 11 October 1984) is a Russian pair skater. Smirnov teamed up with Yuko Kavaguti in May 2006. They are two-time European champions (2010, 2015), two-time World bronze medalists (2009, 2010), two-time ISU Grand Prix Final bronze medalists (11–12 and 15–16), and three-time Russian national champions (2008–2010).

Alexander Smirnov began skating at the age of 3½. His first coach was Larisa Yakovleva. At the age of 16, Smirnov moved from Tver to St. Petersburg and switched to pair skating. He trained with Nikolai Velikov and former pair skater Lyudmila Smirnova. He skated with her daughter for a while, but they never competed. At the age of 20, he teamed up with singles skater, Alexandra Danilova, who was 14 years old. They only competed together twice in local competitions in Russia where they placed third and eighth. He then partnered with another singles skater, Ekaterina Vasilieva. With Vasilieva they were the 2006 Russian Junior Champions and 6th at the 2006 World Junior Championships. The couple broke up after one season together.

In May 2006, Smirnov teamed up with Japanese skater Yuko Kavaguti to compete for Russia. He said, "We often trained at the same rink and I could see how hard she works. I thought I was a hard worker but after watching her I was really amazed by her work level." They train at the Yubileyny Sports Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. They initially worked with Velikov but Kavaguti had been training with Tamara Moskvina since 1998 and preferred to stay with her. They began training with Moskvina in September 2006.