“As pair skaters, we all know the struggles and efforts each of us has gone through, so we couldn’t celebrate with all our might right next to our rivals who fought alongside us.” Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara on their reaction after winning gold at the Olympics
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara on their reaction after their free program at the Olympics.
original source: sponichi.co.jp dd. 25th February 2026
Riku Miura (24) and Ryuichi Kihara (33), the pair known as “RikuRyu” who won Japan’s first-ever gold medal in pairs figure skating at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, held a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. Here’s a translation of their comments.
When asked about the moment their gold medal was confirmed, RikuRyu explained why they didn’t show an explosive display of joy.
Kihara said, “As pair skaters, we all know the struggles and efforts each of us has gone through, so we couldn’t celebrate with all our might right next to our rivals who fought alongside us. It’s really difficult to perform at 100% in the actual competition, so even while waiting in the champions’ seat, I was nervous and just hoped everyone could finish at their best.”
Miura added, “There were still many skaters to perform after us, so we couldn’t let our joy explode from the bottom of our hearts.”
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.
Related topics: Olympic Games, Riku Miura Ryuichi Kihara
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