Kavaguti proud to win for Russia

TALLINN: Japanese-born figure skater Yuko Kavaguti revealed her pride at winning for her adopted country ,Russia, as she stood on top of the podium with pairs partner Alexander Smirnov at the European figure skating championship on Wednesday night.

It has been a long journey for the 28-year-old, branded a traitor in her native country when she changed her nationality in order to pursue her dream of Olympic gold.

After living and training in Russia since 2003, Kavaguti (pictured front) teamed up with Smirnov in 2006. She received her Russian passport in February last year and changed the spelling of her name from Kawaguchi to the more Russified Kavaguti.