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Milan Shocker: Japanese Pair Rises from Fifth to Gold in Dramatic Olympic Free Skate
Milan, Italy – In a stunning turn of events that had spectators on the edge of their seats, Japanese figure skating duo Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara dramatically claimed Olympic gold in the pairs event on Monday night. After an uncharacteristic error in their short program left them languishing in fifth place, the two-time defending world champions delivered a flawless, world-record-setting free skate, ascending to the top of the podium and securing Japan’s first-ever Olympic medal in the pairs category.
The emotional impact of their victory was palpable as Miura and Kihara dropped to their knees in a tearful embrace upon realizing they had clinched the gold. Their long-time coach, Bruno Marcotte, revealed his pre-skate message: “My main message to them today was be the best in the world.
Don’t worry about yesterday. I told them that it wasn’t over.
Before they went out on the ice, I just said, ‘Be yourself.'” And be themselves they did, delivering a performance of unparalleled precision and artistry.
Miura and Kihara’s free skate earned them an impressive 158.13 points, contributing to a career-best overall score of 231.24. This gold medal adds to the silver they previously helped the Japanese team secure last week.
The silver medal went to Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, marking Georgia’s inaugural medal at a Winter Games. Berulava expressed his shock, calling it “an amazing moment for my country.”
Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin, who had led after the short program, experienced several errors in their free skate but ultimately secured the bronze. Hase, choosing to focus on the positive, remarked, “We won an Olympic medal.
It doesn’t suck. It’s a medal at the Olympics.
I don’t think it matters the color. A bronze medal in our first Olympics is amazing.”
The short program on Sunday night had proven to be a minefield for several top contenders. Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, the 2024 world champions from Canada, saw their medal hopes dashed after Stellato-Dudek inexplicably fell during a lift.
Stellato-Dudek, a 42-year-old Chicago-area native making her Olympic debut, also suffered a hard fall during warmups for the free skate. The Canadian pair ultimately finished 11th with 192.61 points.
Deschamps acknowledged the experience, stating, “Just to be out here on and skating on the ice was a privilege and really amazing.”
Earlier in the evening, Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe, a private first class in the U.S. Army, took an early lead by becoming the first team to surpass the 200-point mark. However, their lead was short-lived as Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii quickly overtook them despite a less-than-perfect free skate.
The defending Olympic champions, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, who were in sixth place after Sui’s fall in their short program, made a valiant comeback. Despite a few errors in their free skate, their score of 208.64 points placed them in first with five pairs remaining, ultimately securing them a fifth-place finish. Han confirmed this would be his last Olympics, having returned to the sport last June after a two-year retirement.
But it was Miura and Kihara who truly captivated the audience. Their program, set to music from the “Gladiator” films, began flawlessly with a triple toe-double axel-double axel sequence.
Miura landed their throw triple loop with remarkable grace, and their salchows, a challenge for many other teams, were executed cleanly. Kihara, who had been stoic after their short program, erupted with a roar upon hearing their free skate score, before quietly dropping to his knees to embrace Miura as their gold medal victory was confirmed.