{
  "id": 2692361,
  "title": "Japanese Olympic skater duo Kihara Ryūichi and Riku Miura announce engagement in heartfelt post",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/japanese-olympic-skater-duo-kihara-ryuichi-and-riku-miura-announce",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-23T01:30:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/sports/2026/08/23/japanese-olympic-skater-duo-kihara-ryichi-and-riku-miura-announce-engagement-in-heartfelt-post/232348"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tokyo, August 23 — Japanese figure skaters Kihara Ryūichi and Riku Miura, known affectionately as \"RikuRyu,\" have announced their engagement in an emotional message on social media platform X. The post quickly gained traction, accumulating over 20 million views and eliciting a wave of congratulatory messages from fans worldwide. In the heartfelt announcement, Kihara reflected on their shared journey, both on and off the ice, emphasizing how they had supported each other through both triumphant and challenging moments. He expressed joy at finally being able to share this milestone publicly, stating that the couple intends to move forward with their lives \"one step at a time,\" staying true to themselves. Accompanying the post was an image provided by photographer Nobuaki Tanaka, and the announcement used the hashtag #shesaidyes. The engaging content has since garnered tens of thousands of likes and shares, highlighting the duo's popularity as one of Japan's most beloved figure skating pairs. Fans responded with congratulations, photos, and memories of their performances, with one user praising Kihara's choice to propose in the costume from their gold-medal victory, describing it as \"lovely\" and wishing the couple eternal happiness. Miura and Kihara, often referred to as \"RikuRyu,\" have garnered international acclaim for their artistic skating, perfect synchronization, and the emotional depth they bring to their performances. Their engagement marks a new chapter in their lives, not only as a personal milestone but also in a partnership that has captivated audiences around the globe. Kihara wrote in the post that they hope their supporters will \"continue to warmly watch over\" them as they embark on this next stage together.",
  "summary": "TOKYO, Aug 23 — Japanese figure skater Kihara Ryūichi has announced his engagement to longtime skating partne...",
  "key_points": [
    "Couple shares milestone publicly, emphasizing mutual support through highs and lows.",
    "Engagement image features Kihara in gold-medal victory costume, praised by fans."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The engagement of Kihara Ryūichi and Riku Miura marks a new chapter in their lives, shifting their partnership from a celebrated athletic duo to a personal one, captivating audiences globally.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun",
        "title": "Figure Skaters Riku Miura, Ryuichi Kihara Announce Engagement",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/figure-skaters-riku-miura-ryuichi-kihara-announce-engagement",
        "published": "2026-08-22T23:55:18.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Times",
        "title": "Olympic pairs figure skating gold medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara announce engagement",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/olympic-pairs-figure-skating-gold-medalists-riku-miura-and-ryuichi",
        "published": "2026-08-23T02:26:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}