#7 "We Gave It Our All!" The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How "RikuRyu" Decided to Retire Before the Milan Olympics

In the figure skating pairs event, Japan's first-ever Olympic gold medal was captured by "RikuRyu," the duo of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara.

In April 2026, the two suddenly announced their retirement from competitive skating on their respective social media accounts.

"RikuRyu" had been invited to the Spring Garden Party held at the Imperial Palace.
The announcement came just before they were to meet the Emperor and Empress and other members of the Imperial Family.

"We wanted to tell their Majesties about our future plans, which is why we chose this timing." they said.
I was struck by the timing, thinking, "This really shows their sincerity and character."

With the best possible conclusion—the first gold medal for a Japanese pair in history at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics—they brought the curtain down.
Upon hearing of their retirement, many fans, while saddened, sent them blessings, saying, "It was the perfect way to end."

But in reality—

Deep in their hearts, behind the scenes of that spectacular Olympic stage, conflicts and doubts were quietly swirling, unseen by anyone.

In this article, I will introduce the inner struggles RikuRyu faced before deciding to retire and their love-filled interactions on-site with their mentor, Coach Bruno Marcotte.

Miura's "premonition of retirement" from the start of the season

In fact, Miura herself had been skating with these feelings since the beginning of the Milan Olympic season.
"From the start of this season, I was skating with the feeling that I might retire." she told me honestly.

Remaining at the pinnacle of the figure skating world is a battle against unimaginable pressure.

In addition to that, there was the physical burden from repeated injuries.
Also, the struggle with the pressure they continued to impose on themselves, believing they "must remain the best in the world."

Inside the two who stood on the rink with smiles, their mental energy was being chipped away, slowly but surely. That vague, unpleasant "premonition" became reality on that big day.

"Should we do another four years..."—The night of the SP failure, the two hearts that wavered

The Olympic individual short program (SP).
RikuRyu had a fatal mistake on the opening lift, resulting in a significant point deduction and a 5th place start.

It was a painful start.

A mistake that would never happen even in regular practice.
"Why did it happen here, now?" Kihara was at a loss, unable to stop his tears, and could not sleep that night.

The two must have felt the sigh of the audience and the change in the atmosphere during the SP performance more than anyone else. On that night of despair, Miura confided these words to Kihara:
"We can't end like this. Should we do another four years?"

Even though both had a premonition of retirement, the regret of ending with a mistake stirred up the feeling of wanting to "continue" once more.

The two talked thoroughly about their future until late that night.

It was the words of Coach Bruno Marcotte that saved their wavering hearts. Coach Bruno did not blame them for the mistake in the SP or corner them, but simply said, quietly and powerfully:

"Nothing is over yet. Even baseball has a bottom of the ninth."
"Tomorrow, be the best in the world."

Upon hearing these words, Kihara realized,
"I am not alone; I am supported by so many people," and regained the strength to stand up once again.

A dramatic comeback and a new world record score — truly feeling that they "gave it their all."

The following day was the free skate (FS).
The Riku-Ryu pair had transformed into completely different people compared to the day before.

From the opening jump, they landed with a fluid, perfect motion.

Kihara performed a throw jump launched high into the sky.
Their choreographic sequence was perfectly in sync.

And then, reminiscent of the movie Gladiator, the full-effort finish where he lifted Miura high with both hands. Everything was perfect, and it was the best free program in Riku-Ryu history.

The moment the performance ended, Miura dove into Kihara's arms, and Kihara collapsed onto the ice in tears.

They returned to the Kiss & Cry, and their free skate score was displayed.
A world record score of 158.13 points.
With this, they jumped to first place overall, and all that remained was to wait for the performances of the skaters who followed.

The final result was a dramatic comeback victory from 5th place!
They achieved their long-cherished dream of winning the first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal for a Japanese pair.

It was a moment where they gave everything they had and proved what they had built together. Immediately after the performance, the same words crossed both of their minds.

"We gave it our all."

Looking back now, that pure sense of fulfillment was the final push that led them to decide to retire. After the Milan Olympics ended and they returned to Japan, the Riku-Ryu pair made the final decision to withdraw from the World Championships and retire.

The words Coach Bruno gave them right after the gold medal

After their Olympic performance, while the excitement of the dramatic comeback was still fresh, Coach Bruno gently hugged them and said:

"You never stopped believing in each other and in yourselves. Even when the day comes for Riku and Ryuichi to retire, I will never forget this moment."

Reflecting on these words now, perhaps the coach himself had already sensed that a "parting" with the two was coming.

These were words that only a coach who knew the physical limits of Riku-Ryu and the weight of the pressure they had carried better than anyone else could have said.

The day they told him about their retirement, the coach's "blessing"

Once the excitement of the Milano Olympics had settled, the two visited Coach Bruno in Canada to personally convey their decision to retire.

Coach Bruno did not try to hold them back.
Instead, he reportedly offered them his heartfelt blessings and words of appreciation.

Coach Bruno later told the media,
"There are so many emotions swirling, but it's a wonderful feeling. They achieved everything they dreamed of and closed their careers in the best possible way. It's just that their special journey together is coming to a close."

"Coming to a close"— the warmth of those words is truly moving.

Retiring from active competition is by no means an end, but rather a way to send them off into the next chapter. It was a remark that exuded Coach Bruno's deep affection and many years of mutual trust.

From "The Old Man and the Girl" to the strongest pair and the pinnacle of the world

When they first formed their pair in 2019, the two jokingly referred to themselves as "the old man and the girl."

They had such a natural relationship that they could tease each other, but eventually, it turned into an absolute trust that "there is no one else but this person."
What the two aimed for was the pinnacle of the world, and the first-ever Olympic champions—.

Throughout RikuRyu's long competitive career, Coach Bruno watched over them like family by their side.

He was this pair's greatest discoverer and greatest confidant.
RikuRyu's competitive life cannot be told without their bond with Coach Bruno.

"We gave it our all!" I never realized what a beautiful phrase that was.

Injuries and various pressures. The suffering and hesitation on the night of the SP failure. And the joy of the great comeback.
The honest words "we gave it our all" were reached after going through it all.

Could there be a more refreshing and weighty curtain call than this?
The moving trajectory that RikuRyu left on the stage of their dream Olympics will continue to shine forever in the history of Japanese figure skating.

Riku Miura-san, Ryuichi Kihara-san,
you both worked so hard throughout your long competitive careers.
Thank you for showing us the ultimate dream.

*Thank you so much for reading until the end.
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I will continue to post articles about figure skating in the future.
For the future of Japanese pairs, please see the article here↓.

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#Olympics
#GoldMedal
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