Alexander Smirnov (skater): through thorns to the stars

The path to fame is always difficult. Figure skater Alexander Smirnov knows this not by hearsay. The road to victory was difficult. But, despite all the vicissitudes of fate, Alexander was held as a professional figure skater. And paired with Yuko Kawaguchi, he proved himself to be a talented, purposeful athlete and just a good person.

Titles and awards

2015, the European Championships, Stockholm, the brilliant and brilliant victory of Alexander Smirnov and Yuko Kawaguchi. They took first place. Fans welcomed the winners in the pair figure skating roughly and emotionally. Tears of fragile Yuko left no one indifferent.

2015, the third stage of the Grand Prix series, China, Beijing, confident victory of skaters in a difficult struggle. In an arbitrary program, they bypassed two Chinese pairs, eventually won the prize. In total, they won 12 medals at the Grand Prix.

2010 was a very significant year for the pair. At the European Championships, they won a gold medal. It was a triumph for a young couple!

2009, world championship, bronze medal, from the second place they were separated only by 0.13 points.

2008, the victory at the Russian Championship, they became the third in Europe, the fourth pair in the world.

The International Skating Union awarded them the 8th place in the ranking.

Alexander Smirnov (figure skater): biography of a simple guy

The figure skater was born on October 11, 1984 in Tver, Russia. He began to go in for sports in 4 years. Training took place in the morning and in the evening, my mother regularly took her son to the ice rink. The first coach was Larisa Yakovleva.

It was she who dealt with him until the age of 17. Thanks to her, Alexander Smirnov (skater) was formed as a person and champion. Larisa Yakovleva replaced the boy's parents, shared experience, revealed all the secrets of figure skating.

She was the first to understand that the guy was fooling, but in Tver he did not have a chance to get into a big sport. Yakovleva advised to go to St. Petersburg and go in for a pair of skating. In 2001, the athlete leaves his native city in the northern capital.

Not everything was easy to develop in St. Petersburg. Apartments and money was not, friends and relatives near anyone, no scholarships. But Alexander Smirnov is a skater who never gives up. The situation soon resolved, and he was allowed to live in a commentator box in the stadium.

Three long years, Alexander Smirnov, skater and future star, lived in a transparent box with a cat brought from his native Tver. He even took it with him to the competitions, as long as it was possible. Later, 3 more children were accommodated to him, so that longing and loneliness would not prevail over the guy.

The first steps in big sports

The first coach in St. Petersburg was Lyudmila Smirnova, and later Alexander coached Nikolai Velikov. The first partner on the ice was Alexandra Danilova, but the duo did not last long.

Then her partner was Ekaterina Vasilyeva, but after a while she left to work in Germany. In 2006, Catherine and Alexander took 6th place on the world junior champion.

Nikolay Velikov offered skater in partner Yuko Kawaguchi. A miniature Japanese woman took Russian citizenship for the sake of figure skating. Despite the different mentality, the partners found a common language almost immediately.

Not knowing the language, they understood each other, especially Alexander Smirnov. The skater understood how important it is to feel his partner. It became clear to everyone that the duo had taken place, ahead of them there were victories and awards.

At the request of Yuko, the couple changed the coach. Now they are trained by Moskvina, she invests in children all her knowledge, love and professionalism. Thanks to perseverance and great diligence, Sasha and Yuko began their triumphal march in pair figure skating.

Alexander Smirnov (figure skater): family

Sasha does not like to talk about his personal life. It is known that in 2010 he married Catherine Garun. She came from Samara, she worked as a stylist in Moscow. Her parents are the famous Samara hairdressers.

The meeting took place in America, where young people met at a party. Sasha came to the United States for the World Cup, and Katya at work. Soon they played a lavish and cheerful wedding, although they planned a very modest celebration.

In 2014 the young couple had a son. Sasha is not the first child, in Tver he is also a son from a civil wife. According to Alexander Smirnov (skater), children are a great joy and meaning of life.