Japanese Olympic pairs figure skating champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara said Sunday that they are engaged, ending months of speculation about their relationship after their sensational performance at the Milan Cortina Games.
The pair affectionately dubbed "Riku-Ryu," who earned Japan's first pairs Winter Olympic medal in Italy, announced their retirement from competition in April.
"We'll continue to support each other and move forward together, one step at a time, while always staying true to who we are," Miura, 24, and Kihara, 34, said in an Instagram post.
They posted several photos, including one showing Kihara kneeling on an ice rink to present Miura with a ring.
Reflecting on "both the happy times and the difficult ones" that they have shared, Miura and Kihara said, "Over time, we became irreplaceable parts of each other's lives."
The pair are now performing in ice shows while pursuing coaching careers after retiring from competitive skating following the last Olympics in February.
Miura, from western Japan's Hyogo Prefecture, and Kihara, a native of Aichi Prefecture in central Japan, came together as a pair in 2019.
In the pairs event at Milan Cortina, Miura and Kihara rallied from fifth after the short program to win gold with a world-record score in the free skate.
Following the games, Miura and Kihara became a sensation at home, sparking widespread interest in their relationship.
At a press conference in February after returning to Japan, the pair were asked about the "right way" to describe their partnership.
Kihara described them as "comrades in arms," and Miura said they were like family because it was only natural for them to stay together.
But Kihara remained evasive, only saying, "I'll leave it to your imagination."
