CHICAGO, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Russian-born figure skater Denis Petukhov has become a U.S. citizen and may represent the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics, WLS-TV reported.
Petukhov and his Chicago-born wife and ice dancing partner, Melissa Gregory, go to Russia next month for the world ice skating championships.
Becoming a U.S. citizen is a "very special moment for me," Petukhov said as he proudly held the citizenship papers he received Tuesday. "I've been waiting for the opportunity to represent this country at the Olympics."
Petukhov and his ice skating partner met through the Internet and married four years ago.
"The circumstances that have come out and led us to this day are just amazing," Gregory said. "We hope it just keeps getting better and better."
The couple may represent the United States at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy, the TV station reported.
