Ryuichi Kihara: “Eight years ago, the Final felt like a dream, and I never thought I’d have the chance. I’m so happy to be able to compete there with Riku.”
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara secured consecutive Grand Prix victories and qualified for the Grand Prix Final
original source: Nikkansports, November 16th 2025 by Daisuke Fujitsuka
Riku Miura (23) and Ryuichi Kihara (33) claimed back-to-back wins in the Grand Prix Series. They scored 141.57 points in the free skate, with a total of 215.99 points, coming from second place in the short program to take the overall victoryat Skate America. Following their win at the first event in France in October, this secured their spot among the top six pairs for the Grand Prix Final (December 4–7, Nagoya). Here’s a translation of their comments posted on Nikkansports.
“Eight years ago, the Final felt like a dream, and I never thought I’d have the chance. I’m so happy to be able to compete there with Riku,” Kihara reflected.
Entering this season as Olympic gold medal favorites, they continue to value “each and every competition.” Their consecutive Grand Prix wins are the first since their Grand Slam season three years ago, and they are aiming to repeat their “golden road” in this Olympic season. Based in Canada, they were set to compete in the Osaka Grand Prix Final in 2021, but it was canceled due to the pandemic. “It’s our first Final in Japan, and I’m truly happy to be able to go,” Miura said.
The Grand Prix Final in December is seen as a prelude to the Olympics. Kihara commented, “I think it will be considered in Olympic evaluations,” and added, “There’s no pressure that we absolutely have to win. Even if things don’t go well, we won’t get angry or frustrated. If we can just think, ‘In the end, it’s okay,’ that’s good enough.”
Related topics: Riku Miura Ryuichi Kihara
Leave a Reply