Miura and Kihara Claim 2nd World Title in Boston

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara made history two years ago in Saitama when they became the first Japanese pairs to ever win the world title. The dynamic duo added to their legacy on Thursday, March 27, when they scored a dramatic victory to capture their second world crown at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston.

Their triumph at the biggest event of the pre-Olympic season will install Miura and Kihara as the favorites to win the gold medal at the 2026 Games in Milan next February.

Miura and Kihara led by just under two points after Wednesday's short program and put forth a solid showing to "Adios" in their free skate to hold off Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin by less than one point to claim the gold medal.

The Japanese tandem's winning total score was 219.79 points, with Hase and Volodin tallying 219.08 to get the silver. Italy's Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii took the bronze at 210.47.

Miura and Kihara's higher program component scores than the Germans (71.72 to 70.57) helped carry them to the top of the podium for the second time.

Miura and Kihara Reflect on Their Season

"This season, we found the enjoyment towards the end of this season," Kihara stated. "We aim to go with this enjoyment into the next season from the beginning."

Added Kihara, "Something we want to work on is our throw. It has not been as consistent as usual this season, so we are considering maybe changing the order of the elements. We have to discuss with our coaching team to prepare the best possible way for next season."

Miura burst into tears when their scores were posted as the final skaters of the competition.

"There were small mistakes, but I'm very happy to be here and of course to win the second world title," Miura commented. "The first title two years ago was just happiness, but in the last two years, we had very hard times, we had injury problems, we went through many emotions, and we also have many emotions right now. But still, in the end, we are still very happy."

Kagiyama in 2nd Place after Short Program

Earlier on Thursday, three-time world medalist Yuma Kagiyama finished a close second to defending world champion Ilia Malinin of the United States in the men's short program.

Malinin scored 110.41 to lead going into Saturday's free skate, while Kagiyama registered 107.09. Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov is well back in third place at 94.77, while France's Kevin Aymoz stands in fourth at 93.63.

Shun Sato is in fifth with 91.26, while Tatsuya Tsuboi narrowly advanced to the free skate after finishing 24th on 73.00.

The 19-year-old Malinin skated to "Running" and opened with a quadruple flip, followed by a triple axel. He went on to add a big quad lutz/triple toe loop combination jump, and earned level fours on two of his spins and step sequence.

"I don't even know how to feel right now," Malinin remarked. "I felt really nervous ― more than usual before but when the music came on I just went into a flow state and it just went from there. Trusted my muscle memory."

Added Malinin, "I think I learned quite a lot from the Grand Prix Final. That will, I think, help me going into the free skate."

Kagiyama Performs Well to Conclude Men's Short Program

Kagiyama performed to "The Sound of Silence" and began with a huge quad toe loop/triple toe loop combo, followed by a quad salchow. The 21-year-old also landed a nice triple axel and posted level fours on all of his spins and step sequence.

"I was able to skate and perform as I planned," Kagiyama noted. "Knowing about the special pressure skating after Ilia, but I just imagined how cool it is to do a great skate as the last skater."

Added Kagiyama, "I was more excited about my being able to close the competition with a great skate than any other negative thinking and was really glad about the new music arrangement. It added great accents [to the program]."

Sakamoto in 5th Place Going into Free Skate

Three-time defending champion Kaori Sakamoto placed fifth in the women's short program on Wednesday, March 26, and will have to come from behind if she is to become only the fifth woman in history to win fourth straight crowns. The 24-year-old trails American Alysa Liu by approximately 3.5 points heading into the free skate.

Liu is in first place with 74.58, with Mone Chiba second at 73.44. Liu's compatriot Isabeau Levito is third on 73.33.

Wakaba Higuchi came in fourth at 72.10, while Sakamoto notched 71.03 to put three Japanese women in the top five.

"I actually felt in very good condition today, but I've noticed that when I feel really good and well-prepared, I tend to get more nervous," Sakamoto stated on Wednesday. "After landing the lutz and the axel, I felt strong, but before going into the flip, I felt a little unstable. Luckily, after doing the double flip, I had enough speed to pull off the triple."

Chiba, Higuchi in Medal Contention

The 19-year-old Chiba is striving for the first world medal of her career.

"I was really happy with my short program performance today, it was my best of the season," Chiba commented. "All of my jumps, spins, and steps came together, and I felt like everything was at its best.

The 24-year-old Higuchi will be seeking her second world medal on Friday, some seven years after the first (silver in 2018).

"My performance today was the best for this season, I felt," Higuchi declared. "I haven't checked the detailed scores and levels yet, but my jumps were really good, I thought."

The ice dance will get underway on Friday morning at TD Garden, followed by the women's free skate in the evening.

RELATED: 

• [ICE TIME] Kaori Sakamoto Going for 4th Straight World Title in Boston
• Miura, Kihara Make History at Worlds Despite Struggles in Free Skate

Author: Jack Gallagher

The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.