Yuko Kavaguti Information & Yuko Kavaguti Links at HealthHaven.com

Yuko Kavaguti
	; Kavaguti & Smirnov in 2009.
Personal information
Full name:	Yuko Kavaguti
Alternative names:	Yuko Kawaguchi
Country represented:	Russia
Former country(ies) represented:	Japan; United States
Date of birth:	November 20, 1981 (age 28)
Place of birth:	Funabashi, Chiba
Height:	1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)
Partner:	Alexander Smirnov
Former partner:	Alexander Markuntsov (JPN); Devin Patrick (USA)
Coach:	Tamara Moskvina
Former coach:	Nikolai Velikov; Igor Moskvin
Choreographer:	Tatiana Druchinina; Peter Tchernyshev
Skating club:	Yubileini
ISU personal best scores
Combined total:	193.05; 2009 NHK Trophy
Short program:	71.42; 2008 Worlds
Free skate:	124.15; 2009 NHK Trophy

Yuko Kavaguti (also: Kawaguchi, Japanese: Kawaguchi Yūko (川口悠子), Russian: Юко Кавагути, born November 20, 1981 in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan) is a Japanese-Russian pair skater, who has represented Japan, the USA, and Russia in international competition. She competes with Alexander Smirnov, representing Russia. They are the 2008 & 2009 Russian Champions, the 2009 World bronze medalists, and 2009 European silver medalists.

[edit] Biography

Kavaguti previously competed as a singles skater for Japan, then switched to pairs after being inspired by the Russian pair Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.^[1] Kavaguti decided to write to their coach Tamara Moskvina and due to Kavuguti's persistence, the renowned coach eventually agreed to train her. Kavaguti moved to Hackensack, New Jersey where Moskvina was coaching at the time, then to Saint Petersburg, Russia. Kavaguti began her pairs career skating with Alexander Markuntsov. They teamed up in 1999, and were the first Japanese pair team to medal at an ISU championships, which they did at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in 2001.

Kavaguti and Markuntsov split in 2003 and Kavaguti then skated with Devin Patrick for the United States, with whom she competed twice at the United States Figure Skating Championships. She teamed up with Alexander Smirnov in the spring of 2006 and began competing with him, representing Russia. The pair are coached by Tamara Moskvina.

In addition to her native Japanese, she is also fluent in Russian and English. She attended university in Saint Petersburg and studied international politics. In December 2008,^[2] she acquired Russian nationality to earn Olympic berth. Japan does not allow dual nationality, so she was obliged to give up her Japanese citizenship.^[3] She changed the spelling of her name from Kawaguchi to Kavaguti.

[edit] Programs

Season	Short Program	Free Skating
2009-2010	The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns	The Blue Danube by Johan Strauss Waltz by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
2008-2009	The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns	I Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo
2007-2008	Introduction and Rondo capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saëns	Love Story Soundtrack by Francis Lai
2006-2007	Introduction and Rondo capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saëns	Piano Concerto by Camille Saint-Saëns Bachianas Brasileiras by Heitor Villa-Lobos Van Helsing Soundtrack by Alan Silvestri

[edit] Competitive highlights

[edit] Pairs career

[edit] Results for Russia

(with Smirnov)

Event	2006-2007	2007-2008	2008-2009	2009-2010
World Championships	9th	4th	3rd
European Championships		3rd	2nd
Russian Championships		1st	1st
Grand Prix Final		5th	5th	5th
Cup of Russia	3rd	3rd	2nd	2nd
NHK Trophy				2nd
Skate Canada International		3rd	1st
Coupe International Nice	1st	1st

[edit] Results for Japan/United States

(with Patrick)

Event	2004-2005	2005-2006
U.S. Championships		15th
Japanese Championships	1st
Midwestern Sectionals		2nd

[edit] Results for Japan

(with Markuntsov)

Event	2000-2001	2001-2002	2002-2003
World Championships	15th	13th	14th
Four Continents Championships	8th	9th	7th
World Junior Championships	2nd
Japanese Championships		1st	1st
Japanese Junior Championships	1st
NHK Trophy		WD	5th
Skate America		6th	5th
Trophee Lalique		6th
Junior Grand Prix Final	3rd
Junior Grand Prix, China	3rd
Junior Grand Prix, Mexico	1st

WD = Withdrew

[edit] Singles career

Event	1997-1998	1998-1999
Japanese Jr. Championships	3rd
Junior Grand Prix, Mexico		1st
Junior Grand Prix, Hungary		8th

[edit] References

^ "Kawaguchi braves taunts to skate for Russia". Reuters. October 20, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/japan/idUSLR6671420091020?sp=true. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
^ "Ukaz №1832" (in Russian). Ukaz signed by President Dmitry Medvedev. Presidential Administration of Russia. 2008-12-23. http://document.kremlin.ru/doc.asp?ID=049801. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
^ 川口がロシア国籍を取得フィギュアで五輪目指し, 47NEWS, 2009/01/17

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yuko Kavaguti

This article on a Japanese figure skater is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article on a Russian figure skater is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article on a United States figure skater is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[reuters091020-0] "Kawaguchi braves taunts to skate for Russia". Reuters. October 20, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/japan/idUSLR6671420091020?sp=true. Retrieved 2009-10-26.

[1] "Ukaz №1832" (in Russian). Ukaz signed by President Dmitry Medvedev. Presidential Administration of Russia. 2008-12-23. http://document.kremlin.ru/doc.asp?ID=049801. Retrieved 2009-02-18.

[2] 川口がロシア国籍を取得フィギュアで五輪目指し, 47NEWS, 2009/01/17

[1]

[2]

[3]

Contents