At the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won gold in pairs figure skating after a stunning comeback. They placed fifth in the short program due to a lift error but set a personal best in the free skate to secure the victory. This marks Japan's first Olympic gold in the event.
In Milan at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, Riku Miura, 24, and Ryuichi Kihara, 33, claimed gold in pairs figure skating for Japan. During the short program on February 16, Kihara lost balance while lifting Miura, dropping them to fifth place. Devastated, Kihara could not sleep that night and continued crying.
On February 17, they delivered a personal best of 158.13 points in the free skate, totaling 231.24 points to overtake the leaders and win. This is Japan's first Olympic gold in pairs skating. It follows their silver in the team event on February 8, bringing Japan's medal count to 18 and tying the record from the 2022 Beijing Games.
The pair met in 2019 through advice from ice dancer Misato Komatsubara. Their first joint practice in July that year showed immediate synchronization, with Miura recalling, “I skated in my own timing, but we synchronized perfectly,” and Kihara adding, “We were in synch from the first step.” Based in Canada, a figure skating powerhouse, Kihara initially led both on and off the ice, but Miura began voicing her views, fostering mutual improvement.
Before the free skate, seeing Kihara still emotional, Miura encouraged him: “It’s not over yet. We’ve worked so hard.” Kihara said, “Riku-chan helped me recover,” and resolved, “I shouldn’t give up now. I’ll go on the attack.” According to The Japan Times, a short nap helped Kihara reset. After the final pair skated, the announcement rang out: “Riku Miura, Ryuichi Kihara, the champions!” The duo embraced in celebration.
