Ryuichi Kihara shares Riku Miura’s weakness: “She forgot her backpack at the airport – with her medal inside.”
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, known as “RikuRyu,” made history by winning Japan’s first-ever Olympic gold in pairs figure skating at the Milan-Cortina Games, and shared their strengths and weaknesses with humor at a press conference.
original source: sponichi.co.jp dd. 25th February 2026 / sponichi.co.jp dd. 25th February 2026
On the 25th, Riku Miura (24) and Ryuichi Kihara (33) who won Japan’s first-ever gold medal in pairs figure skating at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, held a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo. Here’s a translation of their comments.
Their gold medal was a dramatic comeback. When asked about each other’s “strengths and weaknesses,” Miura confidently praised Kihara as “kind and earnest,” and explained that “he always communicates openly instead of keeping things to himself,” highlighting their strong communication.
When it came to “weaknesses,” Miura began, “Because he’s so earnest…” and at that moment, Kihara jumped in, humorously admitting, “I’m too serious, so I tend to take on too much myself,” which made the reporters laugh. Miura nodded in agreement, clearly recognizing this trait.
At the Milan-Cortina Olympics, they also contributed to a team silver medal and, in pairs, captured Japan’s first-ever gold in the discipline. After a lift mistake in the short program left them in fifth place, they set a new world record of 158.13 points in the free skate. Their total of 231.24 points secured the gold, making their climb from fifth in the SP to the top of the podium the greatest comeback in Olympic history, thrilling the nation.
In another part of the press conference, both expressed gratitude for the support from Japan and the local fans. When asked about their own “strengths and weaknesses,” Kihara proudly said, “Our trust is strong. We get along much better than other pairs.” As for “weaknesses,” he revealed that Miura “forgets things a lot,” which drew laughter from the audience. “Even yesterday, when leaving the local airport, she forgot her backpack,” he said, to which Miura confessed, “My medal was in it…” surprising the reporters.
At the end of the press conference, the moderator reminded Miura, “Riku, don’t forget your medal,” and she shyly hugged her medal tightly.
Related topics: Olympic Games, Riku Miura Ryuichi Kihara
Leave a Reply