Figure Skating - Team MIURA Riku / KIHARA Ryuichi

MIURA/KIHARA
Teamed up in 2019 at the suggestion of coach Canadian coach Bruno Marcotte. "I thought my career had ended and I was just about to retire when I was invited to try out and I got to meet Riku. The first time we skated together, I realized this was a good fit so I should just get back into it." (Kihara, IFS Magazine, Dec 2021)

COVID-19
Due to travel restrictions, they stayed in Canada the whole of 2020 and then only left for the 2021 World Championships. After this, they were not able to return to Canada and trained online with coach Bruno Marcotte while in Japan until summer 2021, when they first went to the United States of America and finally returned to Oakville, Ontario (CAN) when the border opened for them in early September. (IFS Magazine, Dec 2021)

GOING UP
Won the international competition Autumn Classic 2021 and claimed silver at the ISU Grand Prix Skate America 2021, which is the first Grand Prix medal for a Japanese pair skating team since Narumi Takahashi/Mervin Tran won silver at NHK Trophy in 2011. Went on to earn bronze at their second Grand Prix of the season, NHK Trophy in Tokyo. They qualified for the Grand Prix final which was cancelled because of the pandemic.
Finished 10th in their debut at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm and qualified an Olympic Winter Games quota place for Japan.

ACCOMPLISHED COACH
Meagan Duhamel (CAN), the 2018 Olympic bronze medalist in pair skating and 2018 Olympic champion in the team event, is part of their coaching team.

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