Japanese Olympic pairs figure skating champions Miura, Kihara get engaged
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The pair affectionately dubbed “Riku-Ryu”, who earned Japan’s first pairs Winter Olympic medal in Italy, announced their retirement from competition in April.
PHOTO: RIKU9111, KIHARA_RYUICHI/INSTAGRAM
- Japanese Olympic pairs figure skating champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara announced their engagement after retiring from competition in April.
- They won Japan’s first pairs Winter Olympic medal with a world-record free skate at the Milan Cortina Games.
- Now performing in ice shows and pursuing coaching, they describe their bond as irreplaceable and like family.
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TOKYO – Japanese Olympic pairs figure skating champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara said on Aug 23 that they are engaged, ending months of speculation about their relationship after their sensational performance at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games.
The pair, who earned Japan’s first pairs Winter Olympic medal in Italy and are affectionately dubbed “Riku-Ryu”, announced their retirement from competition in April.
“We’ll continue to support each other and move forward together, one step at a time, while always staying true to who we are,” Miura, 24, and Kihara, 34, said in an Instagram post.
They posted several photos, including one showing Kihara kneeling on an ice rink to present Miura with a ring.
Reflecting on “both the happy times and the difficult ones” that they have shared, Miura and Kihara said: “Over time, we became irreplaceable parts of each other’s lives.”
They are now performing in ice shows while pursuing coaching careers after retiring from competitive skating following the last Olympics in February.
Miura, from western Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture, and Kihara, a native of Aichi Prefecture in central Japan, came together as a pair in 2019.
In the pairs event at Milano-Cortina, they rallied from fifth after the short programme to win gold with a world-record score in the free skate.
Following the Games, Miura and Kihara became a sensation at home, sparking widespread interest in their relationship.
At a press conference in February after returning to Japan, they were asked about the “right way” to describe their partnership.
Kihara described them as “comrades in arms”, and Miura said they were like family because it was only natural for them to stay together. KYODO NEWS