Retiring “Riku-Ryu” Figure Skating Duo Voices No Regrets

Tokyo, April 28 (Jiji Press)–The gold-winning Japanese figure skating pair, Riku Miura, 24, and Ryuichi Kihara, 33, held their retirement press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday, saying that they have no regrets. “We gave it our all at the (2026 Milan-Cortina Winter) Olympics,” Miura said with a smile. Kihara, who appeared emotional from the beginning of the press conference, said, “We were thinking to retire after winning at the Olympics.” The pair, nicknamed “Riku-Ryu,” became the first Japanese to win Olympic gold in pairs figure skating in February. On April 17, they announced their intention to retire from competitive figure skating. Kihara explained that he originally started thinking about retirement after they won the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships. Miura and Kihara now plan to turn professional. “I don’t know if we will open a figure skating school or hold small exhibitions, but I want to display our pairs skating skills,” Kihara said. Miura said, “I want to be a coach who can support athletes not only in their skills but also mentally.” Naoya Kinoshita, president of Kinoshita Group Co., which supports the pair, revealed plans to open an “academy” for Miura and Kihara to teach pairs skating in the future. Miura and Kihara formed a pair in summer 2019. Noted for their speedy lifts and spins in harmony, they have written a new chapter in Japanese pairs figure skating history. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the two ranked seventh in pairs figure skating, while contributing to Japan’s silver medal in the figure skating team event. In the 2022-2023 season, the pair won the World Figure Skating Championships, the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and the Figure Skating Four Continents Championships. At the Milan-Cortina Games, Miura and Kihara set a new world record in the free skating program, making a dramatic comeback from fifth place in the short program. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]