Japan's Olympic pairs figure skating champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara revealed on Tuesday that they decided to retire immediately after winning gold at February's Milan Cortina Winter Games, vowing to raise the profile of pairs skating in Japan.
At a press conference in Tokyo, 33-year-old Ryuichi Kihara, in tears, said, "Riku reached out to me in 2019, when I'd probably have retired otherwise." Miura, 24, reflected, "The seven years we've spent as partners helped me really grow not just as an athlete, but also as a human being."
Known as "Riku-Ryu," the duo announced the end of their competitive career on April 17 after sweeping major senior titles, including the world championships in 2023 and 2025, Grand Prix Final, and Four Continents. They placed seventh at the 2022 Beijing Games but turned fifth in the Milan short program into Japan's first Olympic pairs gold with a world-record free skate.
Based in Canada for seven seasons, they developed the world's fastest skating style through unwavering trust. Kihara, who finished 18th in Sochi 2014 and 21st in Pyeongchang 2018 with prior partners, credited daily uncompromising efforts.
They plan to obtain coaching certification to boost pairs skating in Japan, addressing hurdles like overseas training and language barriers. "I want to convey it's fun to do pairs, and there's a wall we can't clear alone but can by being a pair," Kihara said.
