Rikuryu creates “the future of couples’ sports” by announcing her decision to turn professional.

When we won the World Championships last year, we both felt that this might be our last World Championships.

Rirai Miura (24) and Ryuichi Kihara (33), who participated in the Winter Olympics in Cortina, Milan, and won the first Japanese gold medal in figure skating pair, held a retirement press conference on April 28. At the press conference, they repeatedly shed tears as they expressed their gratitude to those around them who had supported them throughout their athletic careers, and confessed that they had been aware of their “final days” from the beginning of the Olympic season. Miura also said, “I had decided to retire as soon as the Olympics were over.

On May 25 (LA local time), the two appeared together at the first pitch of the Dodgers, the team to which Shohei Ohtani belongs. Kihara lifted Miura up and down while he threw the first pitch.

Rikuryu’s true face as witnessed by this magazine

In fact, one day before the retirement announcement, this magazine witnessed the two in a friendly mood.

A few hours after they performed at “Stars on Ice Japan Tour 2026,” their “first performance” after the Olympics, they appeared together at a convenience store in the hotel where they were staying.

I was surprised to see Rikuryu in the store!　I had heard on the news that they had been living together in Canada while competing, but I thought they were really spending their off-time together, too (laughs). (Laughs) Unlike the tense atmosphere he shows on the ice, he looked so calm as he went shopping, exchanging a few words with us, which made me smile.

After shopping, they rode the elevator back to the hotel together. It was a glimpse into the true faces of these two people, who can be said to be one in both their private and public lives.

As for their future, they stated at their retirement press conference that they will “work as professionals. They will continue to promote the appeal of pairs skating through ice shows and skating classes. What was particularly impressive was their desire to become “instructors. Miura said, “I want to be a coach who not only teaches technique, but also supports each student individually,” and Kihara said, “I want to be a person who can support students in terms of diet and mental health.

Currently, the Japan Skating Federation is in the process of developing an instructor qualification system, and even top skaters are now required to take specialized courses and acquire qualifications. The environment has changed to the point where it is no longer acceptable for “great skaters to become coaches as they were in the past. That is why the two coaches’ attitude of “I want to coach after four to five years of study” is extremely modern.

Structural Problems of Pairs Competitions

Former figure skater Takahito Mura, who is now active as a professional skater in a wide range of fields, including commentary and training of young skaters, analyzes their transition as follows: “The job of a coach is actually to coach athletes.

The job of a coach is actually quite different from that of an athlete. The way of thinking and what you have to pay attention to are very different between a “competitor,” who is the one performing, and a “coach,” who is the one instructing. Of course, it is important to convey the technique and image of the competition to the players, but you must also learn how to act as a coach, what is necessary for the players, and even things you did not have to worry about when you were a player, such as social rules. When Riku-ryu said, ‘I want to learn over 4 to 5 years,’ he was probably referring to such a period of time.

I believe that passing on skills and experience is an area in which top players excel. However, I am sure that they will also realize in the future how difficult it is to teach various types of players and how to think about the game from the standpoint of a coach.

The two also went into the “structural problems” facing the pairs world in Japan. In Japan, there are many cases in which players who wish to study pairs competitions in earnest need to be based overseas. In fact, Rikuryu has been based in Canada for many years. At the press conference, Kihara said, “There are still many pair instructors in Japan,

There are still very few pair instructors in Japan. It is a high hurdle to have to go abroad for the first step,” he said.

Kihara said that he hopes to create an environment where pair training can be completed in Japan in the future. The representative of the Kinoshita Group, to which he belongs, also stated, “In the future, there is a plan for an academy.

He added, “In the past, Japan has been said to be weak in pairs and other couples competitions. I believe that they are the ones who have changed that trend. With these two becoming instructors in the future, we should be able to create an environment in which pairs competitions can be taught in earnest in Japan. As Rikuryu mentioned at the press conference, in Japan today, there are many cases where an overseas base is necessary to continue pair sports in earnest. One reason is the lack of instructors. Furthermore, in couples competitions such as pairs and ice dancing, there is a high risk of collision when skating on the same rink as singles athletes, and securing a training environment itself is also a difficult aspect. On the other hand, renting out a separate rink would be very costly.

On the other hand, there are also issues with overseas bases. In recent years, the cost of coaches, choreography, and rinks has skyrocketed, in addition to the effects of the weak yen, making it financially difficult for many athletes to secure a practice environment even if one is available. If these problems can be overcome and an environment can be created in which the two Riku-ryu players can teach in Japan, the number of pairs players in Japan will probably increase further. It has been said that Japan lags behind other countries in terms of coaches and rink environments, but I am sure that they will be the ones to change this situation.

This is not just a second chapter for Riku after her retirement. Rikuryu, who has reached the top of the world, now has her sights set on a new challenge: “creating a foundation for the Japanese pairs world.