Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, known as "Rikuryu," who won the gold medal in the pairs figure skating event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, will appear on a special episode of "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) airing on March 20th at 8:10 PM.
When Tetsuko Kuroyanagi picked up the gold medal, she was surprised by its weight, saying, "It's so heavy! Is it really this heavy?" Furthermore, when she was surprised with the medal being placed around her neck, she was overjoyed, saying, "Is it okay? What should I do?! I didn't win it myself! It really feels heavy!"
Looking back at the footage of the team competition at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Miura said, "It already feels nostalgic... It feels like it was just last year." Regarding the footage of the individual short program in which she made a mistake on her signature lift, Miura said, "I haven't been able to watch the short program yet because of the lift mistake..." Kihara recalled her feelings at the time, saying, "I was so shocked that everything we had built up over these seven years was coming to an end, and I couldn't stop crying. Even now, when I watch it, it really touches my heart."
Miura revealed that he was shaken immediately after the competition, saying, "This was the first time Ryuichi had ever cried during a competition, so I didn't know what to do..." But then he resolved, "I have no choice but to repay him for everything he's done for me up until now!" and continued to encourage him. He also looked back on his free skating performance, which resulted in a dramatic comeback victory, in its entirety, and spoke at length about his feelings at the time, revealing a shocking truth that happened behind the scenes of the emotional gold medal.
Furthermore, people who know Kihara well from his past, as well as his mentors who were present at the moment the pair was formed, appeared one after another in video segments. It was said that the formation of RikuRyu was a fateful event in which various miracles came together, and when they first skated together, Kihara said, "I felt it was destiny," and Miura said, "I thought there was no one else but him," and Kuroyanagi was moved by the strong bond between the two.
In addition, the conversation delved into Miura's unexpected personality and his life in Canada, where he trains, and Kuroyanagi's muscle check revealed Kihara's surprisingly muscular physique.
