Guinness World Records has officially certified the free skate that won Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara Olympic gold, recognizing their 158.13 points at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games as the highest score ever recorded in a pairs free skate.
Guinness announced the recognition on October 6 and shared footage on its official social media accounts of the Japanese pair receiving their certificates.
A Fifth Place Start Turned Into Olympic Gold
The record came on February 16, 2026, at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan. Miura and Kihara had slipped to fifth place after the short program, leaving them with plenty of ground to make up heading into the free skate.
They answered with a flawless free program that scored 158.13, a new world record. Their combined total of 231.24 points carried them past the rest of the field for a dramatic come-from-behind victory, ahead of Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, who took silver, and Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin, who won bronze.
The win gave Japan its first Olympic gold medal in pairs figure skating, a discipline in which the country had long trailed its celebrated singles skaters.
A Career Finale Now Preserved In The Record Books
The Olympic title proved to be the culmination of the pair's competitive career. Partners since 2019 and nicknamed "Riku-Ryu" by fans, Miura and Kihara retired from competition at the end of last season.
The Guinness certification means the performance that capped their careers will be remembered not only by the fans who watched it, but in the official record books as well.
Ambassador Roles And A National Tour Come Next
The two have stayed busy since stepping away from competition. Kinoshita Group, their longtime sponsor, named them sports ambassadors on October 2, and the pair are preparing a self-produced "Thank You Tour" that will visit 10 cities across Japan starting in January 2027.
Social Media Links & Editor Tag - Penny
