⛸️ From Milano Olympics Afterglow to Rikuryu's Retirement and Heartwarming News! - 2026.04.19 | Figure Skating

Hello, figure skating fans! It's your editor Figure Lover ⛸️✨

This week is also full of colorful figure skating news that made us laugh and cry. It feels like the afterglow of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics held in February this year hasn't faded yet, right? Let's dive right into this week's top stories!

🥇 Huge Upset and Heartwarming Friendship in Milano Olympics Men's Singles

Do you all remember the results of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics Men's Singles held this February? Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov won the historic Olympic gold medal ^[6]! Ilia Malinin of the USA, who was 1st in the short program, unfortunately finished the competition in 8th place ^[6].

Also, Japan's Kagiyama Yuma and Sato Shun won the silver and bronze medals respectively ^[6], and their friendship was truly touching. In an interview, Kagiyama Yuma showed heartwarming camaraderie by stating, "I felt even happier about his medal than my own" ^[7]. They are competitors on the ice, but they sincerely support each other off the ice. Isn't this the charm of sports? 🥹

🌸 'Rikuryu' Pair's Beautiful Retirement with Olympic Gold

'Rikuryu' Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who rewrote the history of Japanese figure skating pairs, announced their sudden retirement from active competition at the end of this season ^[2]. The two athletes won Japan's first Olympic pair gold medal with a massive comeback, overturning a 6.90-point deficit by setting a new world record of 158.13 points in the free skating at the Milano Olympics ^[1].

On April 17, right after their retirement announcement, they attended the spring garden party hosted by the Emperor and Empress of Japan, dressed gorgeously in a kimono and hakama ^[2] ^[3]. Taking off their skates, they said, "We have no regrets because we gave it our all" ^[1]. In the future, they plan to take on a new challenge as pair skating coaches in Japan ^[2]. I want to send a huge round of applause to the Rikuryu pair for showing us wonderful performances all this time! 👏✨ ^[8]

🎁 Lee Hae-in's Warm 'Good Influence'

There is also shining news off the ice. National team athlete Lee Hae-in visited the Uijeongbu Infant Care Center on April 17 and delivered donations and Children's Day gifts ^[4]. This donation was funded by the beverage sales proceeds from a recent barista experience fan meeting and merchandise sales proceeds ^[4].

Lee Hae-in, who has been consistently donating for several years, prepared customized gifts this time so that the 25 children at the center could pick the gifts they wanted ^[4]. A good influence created together with the fans—isn't it really cool and heartwarming? 🥰

🎊 Ice Skaters' Festival, 'K-Skating Day' to be Held

Lastly, some good news for Korean ice skating fans! The Korea Skating Union is hosting 'K-Skating Day' at the Mokdong Indoor Ice Rink on April 26 ^[5].

This event is an integrated festival where all ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, speed skating, and short track, come together ^[5]. In the first part, an awards ceremony for outstanding athletes and coaches of the 2025-2026 season will be held, and in the second part, various ice show-style performances featuring the athletes will take place ^[5]. Before the event, a photo time for a limited number of fans on a first-come, first-served basis will also be held, so it looks like it will be an unforgettable festival for the fans 🥳! Ticket sales will also be available, so let's all get ready to book!

That's it for this week's news. Thanks to the athletes showing great performances both on and off the ice, it was a really happy week as a figure skating fan. I'll be back next week with more fun and touching news! Bye~ 👋