Kawaguchi and Smirnov win gold at Russian Nationals

Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov defended their title, while Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov slipped to second place. Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze moved up one spot to capture the bronze.

Kawaguchi and…

Kawaguchi and Smirnov take gold in St. Petersburg

Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov won the gold medal at their first ever Russian National Championships, while Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov settled for silver. Arina Ushakova and Sergei Karev rose from sixth to third…

Kawaguchi and Smirnov lead pairs in St. Petersburg

Yuko Kawaguchi (26) and Alexander Smirnov (23) won the Pairs Short Program despite an error in their side-by-side spin which was graded only a level 2 and had negative Grades of Execution (GOE).

The team performed…

Russian pair team ready for breakthrough

Yuko Kawaguchi’s biography would actually be enough for three skaters. She first competed as a single skater for Japan at the international junior level before teaming up with…