Russians were the star turn at the world figure skating championships in Moscow last week but not for their performances on the ice.

Although Russia claimed just two medals – Artur Gachinski’s bronze in the men’s event and Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov’s pairs silver – the fruit of their work was evident in the success of foreigners coached by Russians.

It is a situation that worries the Russian figure skating federation as the build-up to the 2014 Sochi Olympics gathers pace.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin secured the right for Moscow to host the championships after Tokyo withdrew following the earthquake-tsunami disaster in a bid to give up-and-coming skaters experience at home before Sochi.

But the final day was a parade for the work of Russians coaching foreigners. Japan’s Miki Ando, coached in Moscow by Russian Nikolai Morozov, claimed her second world gold to ensure that the Japanese were joint top of the medals table with Canada after Takahiko Kozuka took silver in the men’s event.

And US-based Russian coaches Marina Zueva and Igor Shpilband later achieved the feat of an unprecedented podium sweep in ice dancing – a discipline once dominated by teams from Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White gave the United States their first world gold ahead of Olympic and defending world champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada with Americans Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani in third. All three train in Michigan with Ms Zueva and Mr Shpiland.