page_title: Alexander Smirnov (figure skater)
section_title: 2009–10 season
hierarchical_section_title: Alexander Smirnov (figure skater) / Partnership with Kavaguti / 2009–10 season
caption_attribution_description: English: Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov at the 2010 Winter Olympics (FS).
context_page_description: Alexander Viktorovich Smirnov is a Russian pair skater. Smirnov teamed up with Yuko Kavaguti in May 2006. They are two-time European champions, two-time World bronze medalists, two-time ISU Grand Prix Final bronze medalists, and three-time Russian national champions. In 2015, they became the first pair in history to complete two quadruple throw jumps in one program and the first to land a quadruple throw loop
context_section_description: Kavaguti/Smirnov were chosen to compete at the NHK Trophy in Japan. After the short program they were in 1st place ahead of Qing Pang / Jian Tong. In the free skate Kavaguti once again fell on the quad throw once again dislocating her shoulder. The program was stopped for a two-minute medical break and the pair decided to continue. Despite a three-point deduction for the fall and 'Interruption in Excess' due to the medical break, they won the silver.
  At the Cup of Russia they got 2nd place in the short program and free skate, winning the silver medal behind Pang/Tong. They once again scored enough points in the Grand Prix series to make it to the Grand Prix Finals where they placed 6th in short program and 5th in the free skate. For the third year in a row they finished in 5th place.
  Kavaguti/Smirnov skated in their third Russian Championship and placed first with both programs to win their third consecutive championship over Mukhortova/Trankov by over 11 points. They skated at the 2010 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia and were second after the short with less than one point separating the top three pairs. They skated a nearly flawless free skate with Kavaguti stepping out of the triple toe loop being the only mistake. In the middle of the program Kavaguti's shoulder dislocated but she was able to get it back into place and carry on with the rest of the program. They won the European Championship; receiving a score of 139.29 which was a world record free skate score.
  Kavaguti/Smirnov competed in their first Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. They were 3rd after the short program with a season's best score of 74.16, only 2.5 points behind the 1st place team of Shen/Zhao. During the warm-up the pair was told by their coach not to attempt the quad throw. The first throw was a triple salchow; Kavaguti put her hand down and stumbled coming out of the jump. Smirnov stepped out of the double Axel and because there was no speed to complete the second Axel, the pair didn't complete the sequence. Kavaguti fell on the final throw dislocating her shoulder. The pair continued but failed to achieve full levels on many of the elements. Although they were in 1st place, there were still three pairs left to skate. They placed 4th overall. They were the highest placing Russian pair skaters.
  The 2010 World championships were held in Torino, Italy. Much like the World Championships in 2009, they were second after the short program and after a fall they dropped to third in the free skate; less than a point out of 2nd place. This was their second consecutive world bronze medal.
caption: Kawaguchi/Smirnov perform their long program at the 2010 Olympics
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