“The team event members were in the audience, letting me know they were there, so I kept looking over at them for encouragement.” Riku Miura revealed that she sometimes glanced at the audience during her performance at the Olympics
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, known as “RikuRyu,” reflected on their dramatic Olympic gold in pairs skating, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and emotions from their free skate performance.
original source: sponichi.co.jp dd. 20th March 2026
Riku Miura (24) and Ryuichi Kihara (33) appeared as guests on TV Asahi’s “Tetsuko’s Room Special Edition” (aired at 8:10 p.m. on the 20th), where they looked back on the competition. Here’s a translation of their comments.
During the program, the two watched footage of their free skate and shared behind-the-scenes stories. Miura revealed that she sometimes glanced at the audience during her performance. “The team event members were in the audience, letting me know they were there, so I kept looking over at them for encouragement,” she explained.
In the free skate, they included the same type of lift that had failed in the short program. “This lift was the same one we made a mistake on the day before, so we were both really nervous,” Kihara said. Miura added, “We were intentionally gripping each other tightly.” She asked, “Didn’t you say something like ‘stay calm’ at that moment?”
Kihara replied, “I felt like you were using more strength than usual, so after that lift, I told you to ‘relax.’” Miura admitted, “I didn’t answer on purpose because I was intentionally using more strength. In my head, I wasn’t actually nervous, but I just didn’t respond.”
For Miura, the final throw jump was the last big challenge. “For me, if I landed this throw jump, it meant I was close to a clean program, so the moment I landed it…” Kihara interjected, “But for me, there was still one more lift, so I couldn’t relax yet. The next lift was the last one, and that was really the crucial moment.” Miura replied, “I was being careful too, of course.”
After the final lift, all that was left was to finish the program safely. Kihara reflected, “After we finished, I think our expressions became the softest.” Miura added, “I was skating with the feeling that I couldn’t make a single mistake, but as each element was completed, my nerves eased, and even though I was supposed to stay in character until the end, I couldn’t help but smile naturally.”
Related topics: Olympic Games, Riku Miura Ryuichi Kihara
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