TOKYO - Japanese figure skating pair Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the gold medalists at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, announced their retirement from competition Friday.
Affectionately dubbed "Riku-Ryu," the pair moved up from fifth place in the short program to the top with a world record score in the free skate to earn Japan's first pairs Winter Games medal of any color in February.
It was their last competition as Miura, 24, and Kihara, 33, did not participate in the world championships in Prague in late March.
"While we are bringing our competitive careers to a close, we feel we have given it everything, with no regrets," Miura and Kihara said on social media. "We will continue taking on new challenges to have more people in Japan come to know pairs skating."
The International Skating Union posted on its Instagram account, "The world will miss you, RikuRyu. Wishing two of you a bright future in your new challenges!"
The pair attended the imperial spring garden party hosted by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako later Friday in Tokyo.
Kihara said the announcement was made before the party as they "wanted to communicate what their thoughts were to the emperor," and "speak honestly about our present feelings."
"We wholeheartedly want to thank everyone who has been supporting us," Kihara told reporters. "In order to eventually become coaches together, we would like to learn."
Miura, also appreciative of the big support they received that "helped us run through this season," said they will speak about the reason behind the decision to retire at a future press conference.
Miura, from western Japan's Hyogo Prefecture, and Kihara, a native of Aichi Prefecture in central Japan, came together as a pair in 2019 after Kihara finished 18th at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and 21st four years later in Pyeongchang with his previous partners.
They placed seventh at the 2022 Beijing Games before winning their first world championship the following year. After finishing as runners-up at the 2024 worlds, they reclaimed the title last year.
The pair has been based in Canada for the past seven seasons and established a dynamic skating style -- one regarded as the fastest in the world -- as they detached themselves for weeks from their smartphones to focus on their upcoming competitions.
Kihara has been troubled by nagging lower back issues in recent years caused by the pairs' key elements of lifts, twist lifts and throw jumps, while Miura had repetitive left shoulder dislocations that occurred as recently as in December ahead of the national championships.
After the Milan Cortina Games, the pair informed people close to them of their intention to retire.
In a discipline long regarded as the weak link for Japanese figure skating, the pair swept all the major senior titles comprising the Olympics, worlds, the Grand Prix Final and the Four Continents, matching the feat of Yuzuru Hanyu in the men's singles.
Miura and Kihara have expressed their intention to be involved in the development of younger athletes and cited issues such as training conditions and a shortage of coaches as challenges in strengthening pairs skating in Japan.
At the nationals in December, there were only three pairs competing while 30 skaters entered in both the men's and women's singles categories.
"We would be grateful if you would continue to watch over us warmly. Thank you very much for your support over all these years," they said.
