Miura/Kihara break world record to win figure skating pairs title at Milan-Cortina

MILAN, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Japan's world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara set a pairs free skating world record with 158.13 points on Monday, completing a stunning comeback from fifth after the short program to win Olympic gold with a total of 231.24 at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

The duo had sat fifth after Saturday's short program following an error on a lift. They responded in the free skate with a bold program to the Gladiator soundtrack, landing their high-difficulty elements including a throw triple lutz, triple salchow and throw triple loop. Their score eclipsed the previous pairs free skating world record of 157.64, set by Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov at the 2022 European Figure Skating Championships.

Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava claimed silver, finishing 9.49 points behind the winners. Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin, who had led after the short program, settled for bronze.

China's returning Olympic champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong finished fifth overall after posting a season-best 135.98 in the free skate for a total of 208.64.

Skating to music from the Chinese dance drama "A Tapestry of a Legendary Land", Sui and Han recovered after an early mistake on the opening triple toe loop and went on to deliver a steady program featuring a triple twist lift, throw triple flip and throw triple salchow.

"I'm very satisfied with our performance and really enjoyed competing here in Milan. We feel we've left a strong and memorable mark on the Games, and our program matched the music beautifully. Through this performance, we were also able to share and showcase Chinese culture with the audience," Han said. ■