Japanese Pair Surge From Fifth To Capture Gold

2026-02-17 - 02:05

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, as they rose from fifth place after the short program to claim the top of the podium, marking the first medal in the discipline for Japan and overturning a 6.9-point deficit from the short program in what became the largest comeback since the current scoring system was introduced. (News On Japan)