Miura and Kihara Win Japan’s First-Ever Olympic Pairs Gold

In yet another 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games high moment, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara skated to both a career-best free skate and overall score, claiming Japan’s first-ever Olympic title in pairs figure skating at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

The victory was far from assured. After a disappointing short program where they finished in fifth position, Miura and Kihara overcame sadness and frustration to produce a personal-best free skate performance. They skated perfectly clean in the final, with power, strength and stunning unity to the “Gladiator” soundtrack for a season’s best 158.13 points in the free skate and a 231.24 total score.

Their flawless routine drew the only standing ovation of the evening from the arena. As their score flashed up, the duo could barely believe it before jumping to their feet and celebrating in the famed kiss-and-cry area.

Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava from Georgia earned silver — their country’s first-ever Olympic medal in the sport — while Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin from Germany took bronze.

The gold was also Japan’s first figure skating title of any kind since Yuzuru Hanyu claimed his second consecutive Olympic crown at Pyeongchang 2018.

In the weeks that followed, the pair announced they would not defend their world title in Prague, and subsequently confirmed their retirement from competitive skating in a joint statement. “We truly feel that we gave it our all, and have no regrets,” they said.