Kiss and Cry

Ryuichi Kihara would have bartered his soul to reclaim two minutes and thirty seconds of his Sunday afternoon. Judging by his face in the Kiss & Cry, he was convinced his mistake on a lift cost him and partner, Riku Miura, an Olympic title. Neither you, me, or coach Bruno Marcotte could have convinced him otherwise. But 24 hours later, we saw a very different Ryuichi Kihara. This guy was punching the air and hugging a screaming Riku as they celebrated a world record free skate score.

I am delighted to write that Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara are the Olympic gold medalists in Pairs. In a competition full of historic moments, their victory is another big one: they are the first Japanese Pairs team to win the Olympics, which also makes them the first Pairs medalists for Japan, too.

Thank Goodness, We CAN Have Nice Things

Riku and Ryuichi have led Japanese Pairs skating out of the wilderness to an Olympic title, hewing a trail through deep forest like China’s Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao in the late 90s and early 2000s. While Japan has exceptionally strong men’s and women’s singles skaters (it could have easily sent half a dozen skaters for both disciplines to this Olympics), it’s struggled to develop the same strength in Pairs and Ice Dance. When Riku and Ryuichi debuted as a Pair team in the 2019-20 season they were the only senior Pair team to compete at the Japan Championships. They qualified two spots for this Olympics, giving the young team of Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi priceless competitive experience. It’s also thanks in no small part to Riku and Ryuichi that Japan has now medaled twice in the Olympic team event. Without them, Japan could not amass enough points to compete for a team medal. Ryuichi and Riku aren’t just holding themselves up in those lifts.

What makes this moment even sweeter is that there are few people in figure skating more beloved than Riku and Ryuichi. If you watched a jubilant Riku fall off the bench with excitement during the team event or watched Ryuichi cry today, you know that they are sunshine incarnate. Pairs skating is often the middle child of figure skating, picked on and overlooked because of its clichés and mess. Riku and Ryuichi make it look elegant, powerful, and fun. Who else could turn the Gladiator soundtrack into something to cheer for?

This victory is also a relief as figure skating passes the three quarter mark of the Olympics. We got a Big Moment today where the performance and the people were equally lovely, perhaps the first since Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier last week (was Ice Dance only last week?). The Olympics have been chaotic and bittersweet up until this point, but I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone upset that Riku and Ryuichi are on top right now. They also managed to shake the bad luck stalking World Champions at this competition. Defending World Champions were 0/2 on wins up until Pairs, with Chock and Bates and Ilia Malinin both losing out on gold in their disciplines. The 1/3 win record underscores how unpredictable the Olympics can be.

Coming Up Next: I’m That Girl

We begin our final event with the Women’s short program on February 17th. I refuse to take bets here, but I will be watching closely to see what kind of performance—and reception—the Individual Neutral Athletes receive. Until then, I need to re-up my supply of Diet Coke. See you soon!