Ryuichi Kihara

Ryuichi Kihara (木原 龍一, Kihara Ryūichi, born August 22, 1992) is a Japanese figure skater, who presently competes in pairs with partner Riku Miura. He previously competed with Narumi Takahashi and Miu Suzaki, representing Japan at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics, respectively.

Ryuichi Kihara
Kihara with Suzaki in 2018
Personal information
Native name木原 龍一
Country representedJapan
Born (1992-08-22) August 22, 1992
Ichinomiya, Aichi
ResidenceTōkai, Aichi
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
PartnerRiku Miura
Former partnerNarumi Takahashi, Miu Suzaki
CoachBruno Marcotte
Meagan Duhamel
Brian Shales
Former coachYuka Sato
Jason Dungjen
Sergei Petrovski
Hiroshi Nagakubo
Y. Naruse
M. Kawaume
Yuko Hongo
Masako Ogino
ChoreographerAllie Hann-McCurdy
Valérie Saurette
Former choreographerMarina Zueva
Yuko Hongo
Skating clubKinoshita Club
Former skating clubChukyo University
Training locationsOakville, Ontario
Former training locationsBloomfield Hills, Michigan
Nagoya
Toyota, Aichi
Began skating1996
ISU personal best scores
Combined total179.94
2019 NHK Trophy
Short program62.41
2019 NHK Trophy
Free skate117.53
2019 NHK Trophy

As a single skater, he is a two-time bronze medalist on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series and the 2010–11 Japanese Junior silver medalist.

Personal Life

Kihara was born in Ichinomiya, Aichi.

He enjoys playing baseball in his spare time.[1]

Career

Single skating

Kihara began learning to skate in 1996.[2] He finished 10th at the 2011 World Junior Championships. He competed in singles through January 28, 2013.

Partnership with Takahashi

On January 30, 2013, the Japanese skating federation confirmed that Kihara would compete in pair skating with Narumi Takahashi, the 2012 World bronze medalist, and they would be coached by Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen.[3][4] They trained in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.[5] They represented Japan together at the 2014 Olympics and placed 19th.

The pair split in March 2015.[6]

2016–2017 season: Debut of Suzaki/Kihara

In June 2015, Japanese media reported that Kihara had teamed up with former single skater Miu Suzaki, with whom he would continue to train in Michigan.[7] In December, they received the bronze medal at the Japan Championships. They did not appear internationally in their first season together.

2016–2017 season

After winning their first international medal (bronze) at the Asian Open Trophy in early August 2016 in Manila, Suzaki/Kihara took silver at the Japan Championships in December. Ranked twelfth in the short program and fourteenth in the free skate, they finished thirteenth overall at the 2017 Four Continents Championships, held in February in Gangneung, South Korea.

2017–2018 season: Pyeongchang Olympics

Suzaki/Kihara began their season with silver at the Asian Open Trophy in August 2017. Making their Grand Prix debut, they finished eighth at the 2017 NHK Trophy in November. They won their first national title at the 2017–18 Japan Championships, and were assigned to Japan's lone pairs spot at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. In February, they competed at the Olympics in both the team event and the individual event.[8] They placed 21st in the latter and missed the free skate. They concluded their season at the 2018 World Championships, where they placed 24th, again missing the free skate.

2018–2019 season: End of Suzaki/Kihara

In October 2018, Suzaki/Kihara placed tenth at the 2018 CS Finlandia Trophy. They placed eighth at the 2018 Grand Prix Helsinki, their first Grand Prix event of the season. They also placed eighth at the 2018 NHK Trophy, their second assignment. They won a second national title at the 2018–19 Japan Championships. Due to a concussion sustained by Kihara in training, the pair withdrew from the 2019 Four Continents Championships and the home 2019 World Championships in Saitama.[9] They announced the end of their partnership in early April 2019.[10]

2019–2020 season: Debut of Miura/Kihara

In August of 2019, it was announced that Kihara had teamed up with Riku Miura and that the pair would train in Oakville, Ontario at the Skate Oakville Skating Club under Bruno Marcotte, Meagan Duhamel, and Brian Shales.[1]

Miura/Kihara made their international competitive debut at 2019 NHK Trophy, where they finished fifth.[11] They were the only pair competing at the 2019–20 Japan Championships, and had two falls in the short program.[12] The free skate proved more successful, allowing them to claim the Japanese national title and assignments to the ISU championships in the second half of the season.[13]

Programs

With Miura
Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2019–2020
[1]

With Suzaki
Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2018–2019
[2]
2017–2018
[14]
2016–2017
[16]
2015–2016

[17]

With Takahashi
Season Short program Free skating
2014–2015
[18]
  • That's Entertainment
  • Love is Here to Stay
  • I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise
2013–2014
[5]

Single skating
Season Short program Free skating
2012–2013
2011–2012
[19]
2010–2011
[20]
  • Tango De Los Exilados
    by Walter Taieb
2009–2010
[21]
  • The Man in the Iron Mask
    by Nick Glennie-Smith

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Pair skating with Miura
International[22]
Event 19–20
Four Continents8th
NHK Trophy5th
National[22]
Japan Champ.1st

Pair skating with Suzaki
International[23]
Event 15–16 16–17 17–18 18–19
Olympics21st
Worlds24thWD
Four Continents13th8thWD
GP Finland8th
GP NHK Trophy8th8th
CS Finlandia Trophy10th
Asian Open Trophy3rd2nd
National[24]
Japan Champ.3rd2nd1st1st

Pair skating with Takahashi
International[25]
Event 2013–14 2014–15
Winter Olympics18th
World Championships17th19th
Four Continents Champ.10th
GP Rostelecom Cup7th
GP NHK Trophy7th
CS Nebelhorn Trophy7th
Lombardia Trophy7th
Nebelhorn Trophy11th
National[26]
Japan Championships1st1st
Team events
Winter Olympics5th T
T = Team result

Single skating
International[27]
Event 02–03 03–04 04–05 05–06 06–07 07–08 08–09 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13
Challenge Cup 7th
International: Junior[27]
Junior Worlds 10th
JGP Austria 10th
JGP Belarus 9th
JGP Estonia 4th
JGP Germany 3rd
JGP Poland 3rd
New Zealand WG 2nd J
National[28]
Japan 12th12th 12th
Japan Junior 28th 17th16th9th8th2nd3rd
Japan Novice 6th B 1st B 3rd A 9th A
J = Junior level

Detailed Results

(with Miura)

2019–20 season
Date Event SP FS Total
March 16 – 22, 2020 2020 World Championships


TBD
February 4 – 9, 2020 2020 Four Continents Championships 9
57.45		 8
110.05		 8
167.50
December 18-22, 2019 2019–20 Japan Championships 1
53.95		 1
116.16		 1
170.11
November 22–24, 2019 NHK Trophy 6
62.41		 6
117.53		 5
179.94

References
  1. "Riku MIURA / Ryuichi KIHARA: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019.
  2. "Miu SUZAKI / Ryuichi KIHARA: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019.
  3. "Skater Takahashi pairs up with Kihara". Jiji-Daily Yomiuri. January 31, 2013. Archived from the original on February 18, 2013.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  4. フィギュア:高橋・木原の新ペア、佐藤有香コーチに師事 [Takahashi / Kihara pair skating team learns from Yuka Sato]. Mainichi (in Japanese). January 30, 2013. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  5. "Narumi TAKAHASHI / Ryuichi KIHARA: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 21, 2014.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  6. "羽生　フィギュア国別対抗戦出場決定！最高の演技で締める". Yahoo Japan (in Japanese). March 31, 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  7. "木原龍一は須崎海羽、クリス・リードは村元哉中とペア" (in Japanese). sponichi.co.jp. June 18, 2015. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  8. "Athlete Profile - Ryuichi KIHARA". pyeongchang2018.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019.
  9. "須崎・木原組、世界フィギュア欠場を発表". sponichi.co.jp (in Japanese). February 26, 2019. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019.
  10. "フィギュア平昌五輪代表・須崎木原組がペア解消". daily.co.jp (in Japanese). April 8, 2019. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019.
  11. Slater, Paula (November 23, 2019). "Sui and Han reign at NHK Trophy". Golden Skate.
  12. Slater, Paula (December 19, 2019). "Rika Kihira leads ladies at Japanese Nationals". Golden Skate.
  13. Slater, Paula (December 21, 2019). "Rika Kihira claims first Japanese National title". Golden Skate.
  14. "Miu SUZAKI / Ryuichi KIHARA: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018.
  15. "木下グループ presents スターズ・オン・アイス 2018 (Special)". TBS 2. 21 April 2018.
  16. "Miu SUZAKI / Ryuichi KIHARA: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017.
  17. "須﨑 海羽 ／ 木原 龍一 ｜ スケート∞リンク ～フジスケ～". フジテレビ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  18. "Narumi TAKAHASHI / Ryuichi KIHARA: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015.
  19. "Ryuichi KIHARA: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012.
  20. "Ryuichi KIHARA: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  21. "Ryuichi KIHARA: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 27, 2009.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  22. "Competition Results: Riku MIURA / Ryuichi KIHARA". International Skating Union.
  23. "Competition Results: Miu SUZAKI / Ryuichi KIHARA". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019.
  24. "須﨑 海羽/SUZAKI Miu 木原 龍一/KIHARA Ryuichi" (in Japanese). Japan Skating Federation. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019.
  25. "Competition Results: Narumi TAKAHASHI / Ryuichi KIHARA". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017.
  26. "髙橋 成美/TAKAHASHI Narumi 木原 龍一/KIHARA Ryuichi" (in Japanese). Japan Skating Federation. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  27. "Competition Results: Ryuichi KIHARA". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  28. "木原 龍一 KIHARA Ryuichi" (in Japanese). Japan Skating Federation. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
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