Japan Makes History in Pair Figure Skating at Milan-Cortina 2026
Predazzo, Italy – The Japanese pair of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara were crowned Olympic champions in the pairs figure skating event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games. The athletes achieved a total score of 231.24, marking the best record of their sporting career.
In addition, the skaters set a new world record in the free program with an impressive score of 158.13 points.
After placing fifth after the short program due to an error, the duo, who hold the title of double world champions, demonstrated their resilience with an impeccable performance in the free skate.
They masterfully executed the three lifts of their routine and flawlessly completed the thrown and parallel jumps, which allowed them to ascend to the top of the podium and secure the Olympic gold medal.Georgia Takes Silver
The silver medal went to Georgians Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, who accumulated 221.75 points. The European champions and double junior world monarchs offered a solid and technically high-level program.
A small adjustment in the landing of a triple loop they launched prevented them from improving their personal best and pressuring the Japanese even more, although they excitedly celebrated their Olympic achievement.Germany Completes the Podium
The bronze went to the Germans Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin, with 219.09 points. After a clean short program, they maintained medal options, but an error on the triple Salchow in parallel during the free program complicated their aspirations.
Despite this, they competently handled the rest of the elements and secured their place on the podium.
The pairs competition was the fourth figure skating discipline to award medals at Milan-Cortina 2026. The gold in the team event went to the United States, while in ice dancing the French Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry triumphed, and in the men’s individual category the Kazakh Mikhail Shaidorov won. The women’s competition will begin on February 17 with the short program.
