Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara: “The injury itself isn’t as bad as the dislocation I had at last year’s Final. It was a difficult decision, but considering the Olympics, we decided to withdraw from Nationals.”
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara spoke about Miura’s injury status. Here’s a translation of their comments.
At the Japanese Nationals (December 19–21, Tokyo National Yoyogi Gymnasium), Miura dislocated her left shoulder during the six-minute warm-up for the short program. After receiving immediate treatment, she managed to start the competition in first place, but they chose to withdraw from the free skate.
On the 22nd, during an interview in Tokyo, Kihara explained, “If Miura were to push herself and get a new injury, we would lose another three to four weeks of training. If she rests properly now, she can return as early as next week. It was a difficult decision, but considering the Olympics, we decided to withdraw.”
Their goal for the individual event is to win Japan’s first-ever pairs medal. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, there were about ten days between the team and individual events, which made it difficult to maintain their physical and mental condition. This time, Miura said, “I want to enjoy it a bit more,” and plans to bring a Nintendo Switch 2 to help them relax with games like Mario Kart and Mario Party.
This will be the second Olympics for the “RikuRyu” pair. Miura stated confidently, “I can approach it with more confidence than four years ago.” They aim to use the lessons learned from Beijing to earn a new accolade.
Riku Miura updated her Instagram on the December 25th. She explained her condition after withdrawing from the free skate at Nationals as a precaution and revealed her future plans.
At a press conference held on the December 22nd, she said, “The injury itself isn’t as bad as the dislocation I had at last year’s Final, so I’m resting now and want to return to training as soon as possible.”
Miura wrote, “Thank you for all the warm support at Nationals. I’m frustrated that I couldn’t show you our free skate due to my shoulder dislocation, and I’m sorry for causing concern.” She continued, “Even so, I am proud to have been selected as a representative for the Milano Olympics, and I want to spend the remaining time with everyone’s warm encouragement in my heart.”
Regarding her future plans, she explained, “I plan to return to full training starting next week.” Her injury appears to be healing, and she added, “We will cherish each day and do our best together. Thank you for your continued support.”
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