(Video) Riku Miura And Ryuichi Kihara Break Down to Tears After Historic Winter Olympics Feat

Earlier, Shizuka Arakawa won gold in the women’s singles in Turin, and Yuzuru Hanyu captured back-to-back men’s singles titles in 2014 and 2018 for Japan.

(Video) Riku Miura And Ryuichi Kihara Break Down to Tears After Historic Winter Olympics Feat

Ryuichi Kihara and Riku Miura (Image via @Olympics, Screengrab via @Devin_Heroux on X)

In Short
  • Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara made history by becoming the first Japanese pair to win gold in Olympic figure skating.
  • They achieved a remarkable comeback after initially placing fifth in the short program, scoring 158.13 points in the free skate.
  • Georgia's Luka Berulava and Anastasia Metelkina won silver, marking the country's first Winter Olympic medal.

On Monday, the Japanese duo of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara couldn’t hold their tears as they overcame odds to win the pairs skating in the figure skating event. Enroute to the gold, Miura and Kihara became the first pair from the East Asian country to win the event.

The duo had a setback in the short program after a fall shadowed their performance, putting them in fifth spot. Skating to the tunes of the soundtrack from The Gladiator, they delivered a flawless routine in the free skate for 158.13 points, registering the biggest comeback in the event since the current scoring system was introduced in 2006 in Turin.

After their skate, the two-time world champions had to wait for the entirety of the last group to finish their performances before they could be adjudicated as winners. And when after the four performances were finished, the pair couldn’t stop tears from falling.

Kihara was pretty emotional as he took the unbelievable win in Milan. After the setback in the short, he was devastated and bawling over the probability of losing out on a medal they were favorites for. Even after delivering one of the best performances in the free skate, he was unsure of how the night would turn out, and when it did, Kihara gave in to the exhilarating and emotional tears.

Kihara, 33, was participating in his fourth Winter Olympics. In Sochi eight years ago, Kihara competed with Narumi Takahashi and finished 19th. In Pyeongchang, he had a new partner in Miu Suzaki, with whom he placed 21st in the short and failed to qualify for the free skate. His journey with Miura began in 2019, and together they have achieved a lot while going several downs, including major injuries to both of them. Kihara was diagnosed with lumbar spondylitis one point two years ago.

Behind the Japanese pair, Luka Berulava and Anastasia Metelkina won the silver medal for Georgia, the first of any kind for the Eurasian country at the Winter Olympics. Nikita Volodin and Minerva Fabienne Hase, who finished first in the short, won the bronze.

Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava make Winter Olympics history and vow for more in coming years

The Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina 2026 have proven to be a watershed moment for developing winter sports nations. In the short span of twelve days, Kazakhstan won its first gold since 1994, while South America saw the podium for the first time through Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil.

Georgian figure skating team of Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (Image via @GeoPresident_ on X)
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (Image via @GeoPresident_ on X)

For Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, the silver medal they secured in the pairs figure skating event was a lifelong dream finally coming true. Despite Georgia’s rich history of 47 Summer Olympic medals, the nation had never stood on a Winter Olympic podium. That’s until Monday.

Metelkina, who grew up wishing on birthday candles to become an Olympic champion, noted that while the medal was silver, its significance was “equivalent to gold.” The duo, who only teamed up in 2023, have enjoyed a meteoric rise, adding this Olympic accolade to their recent 2026 European title. Berulava emphasized that he hopes this victory would inspire a new generation of skaters and hockey players in the country.

This is a big step forward in developing figure skating in Georgia, so that little kids would start skating. We already have the infrastructure. Now everything is being done so that figure skating, ice hockey, would grow in our country.

Luka Berulava said

Meanwhile, Metelkina said that given that it was their first Olympic Games, and it was only their third season of skating together, it was without any doubt a stellar result. She added that she thought they had done everything they could that day.

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