Japan's "Riku-Ryu" Figure Skating Duo to Hang Up Boots

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, gold medalists for the pairs figure skating event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, on Friday announced that they will retire from competitive skating at the end of this season.

Collectively known as "Riku-Ryu," 24-year-old Miura and 33-year-old Kihara became the first ever figure skating pair from Japan to clinch an Olympic gold at the massive sporting event held in February. The duo secured the top Olympic podium spot after hammering out a free skate world record score, more than making up for a costly error that left them in fifth place in the short program.

Taking to social media, Miura and Kihara thanked their fans, their coach and their coaching team.

"We've shared our ups and downs with you all, and the time that we've shared with you together is our priceless treasure," they said in the social media post made in Japanese.

"While our competitive figure skating career will come to an end, we don't have any regrets and we feel that we've done everything we can," they said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]