Shortly after the Olympics, Smirnova moved to Kazakhstan, where she obtained a dual citizenship in order to compete internationally for wrestling. She eventually won the silver medal in the women's 55 kg class at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, losing out to Japanese wrestler and world champion Saori Yoshida. Following her further success from the Asian Games, Smirnova captured two more medals from the Asian Championships, and also, won a bronze for the 59 kg division at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, which guaranteed her a spot for the Olympics.