OLYMPICS: Figure Skating-Japan’s Miura and Kihara slip to fifth after lift error, eye comeback in free skate

MILAN — Japanese figure skating pair Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara placed fifth after a disappointing short program at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday, with Miura describing the result as a test of mental strength rather than a setback defined by points.

The two-time world champions — the first Japanese pair to win world titles in 2023 and 2025 — struggled to deliver their usual precision, falling out of the top three after an error on their lasso lift.

Miura and Kihara earned 73.11 points in the short program, nearly seven points behind German pair Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin, who finished in first place.

“I made a big mistake on the lift, but I was able to keep my composure and complete the throw after that, so I think that really helped me become a lot stronger mentally,” Miura said through a translator.

The Japanese duo entered the Olympics as strong favorites after winning the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya in December. Their short program result, however, marked a contrast to their early success at the Games, where they led the pairs segment in the team event and helped Japan secure a silver medal.

Their rise has played a key role in Japan’s resurgence in pairs figure skating, a discipline traditionally dominated by European and North American athletes. Before their breakthrough silver medal at the world championships in 2022, Japan had gone a decade without a podium finish in pairs at a major ISU competition.

Miura and Kihara’s journey to the top has also been shaped by adversity. Kihara has dealt with recurring back injuries, while Miura has competed through multiple shoulder dislocations.

At the Japan Championships in 2025, Miura dislocated her shoulder during warm-ups, reset it, and still delivered an impressive short program that earned a season-best score.

Their free skate on Monday, set to music from Gladiator and featuring vocals by Andrea Bocelli, reflects their resilience and perseverance through injuries and setbacks.

Despite the disappointing short program, Miura emphasized that their focus remains on performance rather than results heading into the free skate.

“The important thing isn’t the score. The important thing is doing my best and performing to the best of my ability,” she said.

She added that she had not yet reviewed footage of the mistake but remained determined to improve.

“I haven’t seen the video yet, but I hope that tomorrow we can take each step carefully so that this kind of thing doesn’t happen again,” Miura said. -Reporting by Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Michael Perry/Reuters