Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara: “This time, our goal is to win an Olympic medal in the individual event, and we’re going to give it our all.”
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara share their ambitions for the Milano-Cortina Olympics
original source: Nikkansports dd. July 25th, 2025
Riku Miura (23) and Ryuichi Kihara (32) shared their thoughts and goals during an interview in Oakville, Canada – ahead of their journey toward the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics. Here’s a translation of their comments.
The duo, who claimed world champions title this year, expressed their determination for Olympic success. Kihara, reflecting on his seventh-place finish at the 2022 Beijing Olympics in individual competition, firmly stated: “This time, our goal is to win a medal in the individual event, and we’re going to give it our all.”
For the new Olympic season, Miura and Kihara revealed they plan to continue with their short program (SP) from last season, “Paint It Black.”
Kihara explained their decision: “This program gives us a lot of confidence. In an Olympic year, rather than introducing two entirely new pieces, we wanted to stick with something we feel sure about for the SP. That would allow us to spend more time refining the free skate.”
In June, the duo worked with choreographer Shaylyn Bourne in Los Angeles to enhance the SP, focusing on refining intricate movements and polishing the details.
While the details of their free skate are still under wraps, it will once again be choreographed by Marie-France Dubreuil. The pair hopes it will express their skating journey and achievements together: “We want to showcase the story of two skaters who have carved out their own destinies, and the path we’ve forged as partners,” they said.
Last season, which was the pre-Olympic year, brought impressive results for Miura and Kihara, as they claimed victories at both the Four Continents Championships and the World Championships — proving their status as gold medal contenders for Milano-Cortina. However, their coach Bruno Marcotte has reminded them to stay humble: “The Olympics begin as if you’re ranked seventh.”
Kihara reflected: “We’re neither Olympic champions nor medalists – we’re simply chasing those ahead.”
Miura echoed his sentiment, emphasizing a focused approach: “I don’t want to treat the Olympics as anything special. I want to approach each competition leading up to it with the same mindset and focus as I always do.”
Miura and Kihara are scheduled to compete at a local event in Kitchener, Canada, in mid-August as a lead-up to their first major competition of the season – the Challenger Series Kinoshita Group Cup, held in Osaka from September 5–7.
Looking ahead, Miura added: “This season, I want to approach training with a calm and open heart, allowing myself to accept mistakes and forgive myself when they happen.”
Related topics: Riku Miura Ryuichi Kihara
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