Japanese Gold Medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara Finally Speak Out About Their Future

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who won Japan’s first-ever gold medal in pairs figure skating at the Milano Cortina Olympics, held a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, where Kihara expressed his desire to eventually become coaches together.

“Not immediately, but we want to coach together as a team,” Kihara said at the press conference.

Addressing the current lack of pair coaches in Japan, Kihara said, “If we can first become capable of coaching in Japan, I think we can reduce some of the challenges [faced by future pairs].”

“I would like to help Kihara with his coaching,” said Miura.

When asked about the next Olympics in four years, Kihara said, “Honestly, I don’t know yet.”

Miura, however, said: “When Kihara retires, that’s when I retire too. There’s absolutely no way I’ll continue with someone else.”

Olympics: Japan’s figure skating gold pair learn value of “never giving up”

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, Japan’s pair figure skating gold medalists at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, said Wednesday they have learned the meaning of “never giving up,” as their triumph came after a disappointing short program.

“We won by delivering our performance in the free program, and I learned the importance of not giving up in any situation at the Games,” Miura said during a press conference in Tokyo.

The pair scored a world-record 158.13 points in the free program for a total of 231.24, climbing from fifth place in the short program.

The pair, affectionately dubbed “Riku-Ryu,” returned home Tuesday along with other Japanese Olympians following the 17-day event in northern Italy.

They also helped Japan win its second straight team figure skating silver medal at the international event, where the country captured a Winter Games-best 24 medals, including a record-tying five golds, along with seven silvers and 12 bronzes.

Earlier in the day, Miura and Kihara attended a ceremony marking the conclusion of the Games for the Japanese team.

Miura, 24, and Kihara, 33, teamed up in 2019 and are based in Canada.

When asked about the “right answer” regarding their relationship, Kihara described it as “comrades in arms,” and Miura said they are like family because it is only natural for them to stay together.

Kihara concluded with a smile, “I’ll leave it to your imagination.”