Japanese Pair Surge From Fifth To Capture Gold

Feb 17, 2026 | News On Japan

MILAN, Feb 17, 2026 (News On Japan) - The pairs free skating event saw the duo known as “Rikuryu,” Riku Miura, 24, and Ryuichi Kihara, 33, of the Kinoshita Group, capture a dramatic gold medal in a stunning comeback, delivering a performance that brought the entire arena to its feet and earning 158.13 points, the highest free skating score in history.

After struggling in the short program the previous day, when a balance issue on one of their signature lifts left them in fifth place and trailing the leaders by 6.9 points, Miura and Kihara took to the ice last in the third group for the free skate, opening with a high triple twist lift before cleanly executing a three-jump sequence and delivering a stable lift that had faltered the day before, then landing a throw triple Lutz and a throw triple loop with precision, maintaining strong synchronization through the latter half of the routine as the crowd responded with mounting excitement, and upon finishing their commanding performance, the two embraced on the ice in tears of joy.

Their free skate score surpassed their previous personal best of 155.55 recorded in the team event, with 158.13 becoming the highest free skate score ever recorded, while their combined total reached 231.24 points, the fifth-highest in history, surpassing the previous free skate record of 157.46 set by Russia’s Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov at the 2022 European Championships.

The pair’s achievement marked their first update of a world-best mark on a major stage in four years, and Kaori Sakamoto, 25, who was watching from the stands, was seen in tears after witnessing the emotional performance, as Miura and Kihara waited for the remaining four pairs to finish before their gold medal was confirmed, prompting a thunderous reaction from the arena, with Miura momentarily stunned before embracing a tearful Kihara.

The duo had already won their second world title in 2025, their first in two years, and followed it with victory at the Grand Prix Final in December of the same year, contributing to Japan’s second consecutive team event silver medal at this competition with personal-best performances in both the short and free programs, before finally achieving their long-sought individual gold medal, with their podium finish bringing Japan’s medal tally at these Winter Olympics level with its record total of 18 set at the Beijing Games.

Pairs results: Gold: Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara 231.24 points Silver: A. Metelkina/L. Berulava (Georgia) 221.75 Bronze: M. Hase/N. Volodin (Germany) 219.09

Source: TBS

Google Opens Flagship Store in Tokyo's Omotesando

Google opened its first flagship store in Japan in Tokyo's Omotesando district at 2 p.m. on August 13, marking the company's first flagship retail location outside the United States.

The Unseen Reality of Kumamoto Quake Survivors

Fifteen days after the Kumamoto earthquake, restoration of electricity and transport infrastructure is progressing, but thousands of people are believed to remain outside official shelters, while rising construction costs and interest rates are creating new challenges for rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods.

Jellyfish-Like Red Glow Lights Up Kanagawa

A mysterious red light stretching vertically across the night sky over Kanagawa Prefecture has been identified as a rare "sprite," a brief luminous phenomenon that occurs high above thunderclouds at roughly the same time as powerful lightning strikes.

Awa Odori Dancers Fill Tokushima Streets

Street performances began across Tokushima on August 12 as the city's Awa Odori festival entered its second day, with leading dance groups showcasing graceful routines after months of practice.

Newly Formed Typhoon No. 17 Could Near Kanto by Weekend

A large new typhoon formed near the Ogasawara Islands on August 12 and could approach Honshu around the end of the Obon holiday period, while the remnants of Typhoon No. 15 continue to bring unstable weather and a risk of heavy rain across a wide area of Japan.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Sports NEWS

Teqball Eyes Breakthrough at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

Teqball, a sport combining elements of soccer and table tennis, will make its Asian Games debut when the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games open in September, giving Japan's players a major opportunity to raise the profile of a discipline that has so far attracted relatively little attention domestically.

Alpen Flagship Store Opens in Osaka

Major sporting goods retailer Alpen is opening Alpen OSAKA, one of the largest sports and lifestyle stores in the Kansai region, at the former Uniqlo site in Osaka's Chayamachi district, with six floors offering everything from running shoes and golf equipment to hands-on product testing.

CDI and NYRA Create New 3-Year-Old Championship Series, Leaving Preakness S. Effectively Isolated

On August 3, 2026, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced the launch of the "Thoroughbred Championship Series" to determine the top 3-year-old thoroughbred, starting next season, as reported by Sponichi Annex.

Cheerleader Balances Corporate Career

Wakana Uchikoshi, a 27-year-old recruitment professional at Ajinomoto AGF, has built a demanding but rewarding life that combines her weekday corporate career with twice-weekly practices as a cheerleader for a company-affiliated American football team.