By Irene Wang
MILAN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara said on Tuesday they were still processing their dramatic triumph after roaring back from fifth place to win their country's first Olympic pairs figure skating gold medal.
They delivered a spellbinding free skate to music from "Gladiator," performed by Andrea Bocelli, earning 158.13 points - a world record under the scoring system revamped after the 2018 Olympics - and finishing with a combined points total of 231.24 on Monday.
"It's only been about 10 hours since the competition, so it hasn't really hit me yet," Miura told reporters.
"But I'm very happy that we were able to deliver a performance in our own style. I hope by winning the gold medal this time we can contribute to the future of Japan's pairs skating."
Their comeback followed a costly error in the short programme that left them playing catch-up in the standings. Miura said the turnaround was rooted in refusing to unravel.
"Even though we made such a huge mistake in the short programme, we didn't give up and kept looking forward, and that's what led to the gold medal," she said.
"No matter what happens, it is very important to hold on to the determination to never give up."
FELT HOPELESS
Kihara said the low point after the short programme was immediate and overwhelming.
"Honestly after the short programme, I felt completely hopeless," he said. "The gap in the scores left nothing but despair, and I felt completely devastated."
He credited their coach with reframing the moment, recalling a baseball analogy: the contest was not over "until the bottom of the ninth inning", and pointing to the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, when Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot rebounded in the free skate after errors in the short.
Kihara said he could not stop crying the next morning, but teammates kept pulling him back. Miura, smiling, said tears were almost tradition for her partner.
"It's like an annual event," she said, adding that seeing his tears turn to joy made everything "really worth it".
Both skaters also highlighted the support of Japan teammate Kaori Sakamoto, saying her reassurance after the short programme helped steady them - and that they hoped their own misfortune would clear the way for Sakamoto to skate "freely and confidently without fear".
Sakamoto will take the ice in the women's singles event later on Tuesday.
(Writing by Rory Carroll in Milan, editing by Ed Osmond)
