Japan hails ‘new chapter’ with first Olympic pairs skating goldRiku Miura and Ryuchi Kihara celebrate after winning Japan’s first Olympic figure skating pairs gold at the Milan-Cortina Games in Italy. (Photo: AFP)Japan hailed a “new chapter” in the country’s figure skating on Tuesday after Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara pulled off a stunning comeback to claim pairs gold at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. Miura and Kihara won Japan’s first Olympic pairs gold with the performance of their careers, coming from fifth overnight to land the title with personal best scores. It was the first time Japan had won an Olympic figure skating pairs medal of any colour. Miura and Kihara, popularly known collectively in Japan as “Rikuryu”, went into the free skate trailing after errors in their short programme.

Source: Bangkok Post February 17, 2026 08:17 UTC