The Part-Time Worker Who Took My Hand: Fateful Partner and Olympic Sensation Figure Skating Pair “RikuRyu” [Japanese Side]

Ryuichi Kihara, Working Part-Time in a Deep Slump

Riku Miura, the Miraculous Partner Who Appeared Like a Bolt of Lightning

This week in Japan, figures related to the Winter Olympics have been making headlines day after day. In particular, attention is focused on the pair who won Japan’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in figure skating pairs. They are 24-year-old Miura Riku and 33-year-old Kihara Ryuichi, affectionately known together as “RikuRyu.” They have drawn even more attention after it became known that they spent seven years together, supporting each other through painful times. This week, we bring you the story of the “RikuRyu pair,” who became each other’s destiny in the midst of despair.

Miura Riku (left) and Kihara Ryuichi are kneeling and sobbing after finishing their performance in the figure skating pairs free skate at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on the 17th (Korean time). Photo by IOC.

Originally, neither of them ever imagined they would end up forming a pair in figure skating. Kihara had been competing as a singles skater before switching to pairs in 2013. All the pair elements were unfamiliar to him, and he had no tricks or know-how, so everything felt difficult. He went on to compete in the pairs event at both the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. However, he suffered a concussion in a training accident, followed by a shoulder injury, and in 2019 he ultimately had to disband his team with his then-partner, Susaki Miu.

Miura, for her part, originally practiced karate rather than skating. She switched to figure skating pairs in 2015.

Miura Riku (left) and Kihara Ryuichi posed after winning the gold medal in the pairs free skating at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on the 17th (Korea time). IOC.

After his injuries, Kihara fell into a deep slump. Having failed to achieve notable results at two Olympic Games, he felt that he had hit a wall in terms of his abilities, and he no longer knew whether he should continue as an athlete. So he began working part-time while practicing at the rink where he used to train. He took a part-time job renting out skates and handling rink management. Despite being a former elite athlete, he did not ask for exceptions and even took overnight shifts in the staff dormitory.

He got along easily with the people at the rink and was diligent in his work. But behind his cheerful demeanor, he was hiding many worries. One day, while organizing rental skates, he confided in a fellow part-timer: “People my age are out working in society, but all I have ever done is skate. I’m worried because I don’t know what I should do from now on.”

It was Miura who called Kihara back onto the ice. At the time, she was also about to end her partnership with the partner she had been skating with. A pairs competition organized by the Japan Skating Federation was being held at Chukyo University, Kihara’s alma mater. Kihara was asked to come and help with the event, which was being used to select new athletes, and he participated as a staff member.

Miura Riku (left) and Kihara Ryuichi in the pairs free skate. IOC.

Coach Bruno Marcotte, who was looking for a new partner for Miura, was also at the venue. Bruno said to him, “Ryuichi, put on your skates. Why don’t you skate with Riku for just an hour?” They stepped onto the ice together and performed a twist lift, in which Miura was thrown above his head. Even though he threw her without adding rotation, she rose so high that the coach and the federation officials watching were left speechless.

Kihara also felt that their timing matched so perfectly that he thought, “So this is what it feels like to be struck by lightning.” It was a fateful moment. His desire to quit skating disappeared, and he returned to the ice rink. A month later, when they tried skating together again, their synchronization was just as magical. From 2019, the two began training in Canada, where their coach is based. They went on to finish seventh at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, earning Japan’s first-ever placement in Olympic pairs, and later reached the podium at the World Championships in both 2023 and 2025.

From the very beginning, Kihara, who is nine years older, tried to ease the pressure on Miura by telling her in practice, “You don’t have to absolutely like me.” Now, before competitions, they relax by playing Nintendo games, and they are close enough to spend a lot of time together off the ice as well. You might expect Miura to lean on Kihara, but at the Olympics it was actually Kihara who made mistakes and shed tears, and Miura who comforted him. In media interviews, Miura encouraged him by saying, “We have everything we’ve done up to now,” and “It’s not over yet.” She added that what they had built together over seven years would not crumble so easily.

Miura Riku (left) and Gihara Ryuichi were seen sobbing after finishing their performance in the pairs free skate at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on the 17th (KST). Photo by IOC.

When they won the gold medal, the two embraced each other and burst into tears. Their comments after receiving the gold were particularly striking. Miura said, “Right before the competition, I told myself I was skating for Kihara,” and added, “Many thoughts went through my mind, but I truly felt that what we have built is something great.” Kihara said, “I think I also said that I skate for you. We skate for each other. It’s a miraculous encounter.”

This has led Japanese media and social networking services (SNS) to jokingly speculate, “Are the two of them perhaps dating?” But whether it is love or friendship, spending seven years in step with one person is by no means easy. Precisely because their achievements are the result of enduring each other’s pain, their story seems to resonate deeply with many people.