Smirnov made quick improvements in the 1985 season, establishing himself among the world's best shot putters. His throw of for the gold medal at the 1985 European Cup (held on home soil in Moscow) was a championship record – one that would go unbeaten right up until the European Cup became defunct in 2009. He beat Alessandro Andrei and Udo Beyer (both Olympic champions) to win the event. His throw was the second best ever by a Soviet athlete at that point, behind only the mark of set by Sergey Kasnauskas the previous year. His first national title win came at the Soviet Athletics Championships, where he topped the podium with a throw of . He remained in good form at the 1985 IAAF World Cup, taking the silver medal after Ulf Timmermann. Smirnov ranked second globally on performance that year behind Timmerman's world record throw.