Milan – Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara are still absorbing their stunning comeback victory, clinching Japan’s first Olympic pairs figure skating gold medal after surging from fifth place with a record-breaking free skate.
The duo delivered a mesmerizing performance to Andrea Bocelli’s “Gladiator” music, scoring a world-record 158.13 points under the post-2018 scoring system for a total of 231.24 on Monday. Miura noted the win just 10 hours prior hadn’t fully sunk in, but their resilient style aimed to boost Japan’s pairs skating future despite a critical short program error.
Kihara admitted post-short program despair felt hopeless, but their coach’s baseball analogy, “not over until the bottom of the ninth” and 2018 Pyeongchang precedent inspired recovery. Miura emphasized perseverance: “No matter what happens, hold on to the determination to never give up.” Teammate Kaori Sakamoto’s support steadied them, as they hope to pave her path in women’s singles later Tuesday, turning Kihara’s ritual tears into shared triumph.