Nagaoka and Moriguchi secure national title; Miura and Kihara withdraw due to injury
2025-26 Japanese Nationals: Pairs’ Figure Skating
Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi secured their second national victory at the 2025-26 Japanese National Figure Skating Championships. Headliners and grand slam winners Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara were forced to withdraw due to injury after the short program, The newly formed pair team of Ayumi Kagotani and Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda earned silver.
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara
In the lead after the short program with a big score of 84.91, current World champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara withdrew from the competition due to injury.
Miura dislocated her shoulder right before competing, but the team still went out and skated their short program cleanly. As the final notes of the music faded, Miura’s eyes filled with tears while Kihara stayed by her side, checking on her. They were surprised with their score, and Miura added that her injury was not as painful as she had initially thought.
With little time between the short program and the free skate, the team planned to go to the hospital after the event. However, they ultimately chose to withdraw in order not to disrupt their preparation schedule ahead of the Olympics in February.
Miura and Kihara still appeared at the official Olympic team selection press conference and will head to their second Olympic Games together as one of the event’s favorites. The team will also compete at the World Championships in March.
Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi
Looking up to Miura and Kihira, who stand at the top of the skating world, Nagaoka and Moriguchi honored them with performances that reflected their path. Although unofficial, the team set new personal bests in both segments, increasing their personal total score by over 15 points.
Despite Nagaoka dealing with an injury in training, the team delivered a clean short program. Though slightly tight on the triple twist, they executed side-by-side triple loops perfectly on the rising music and comfortably landed a huge throw triple Salchow. The team placed second behind Miura and Kihara with 72.91 points.
The competition shifted on the day of the free skate when Miura and Kihara pulled out and Nagaoka and Moriguchi were left to take the national crown. Carrying the same strength and consistency that defined their short program, the pair delivered a flawless free skate to “The Tree of Life.” Their signature triple loop-double Axel-double Axel sequence earned a +1.75 grades of execution (GOE), while both lifts received close to +2 GOE. Powered by an impressive technical score of 77.27, they broke the 140-point barrier in the segment with 142.39 points. The duo finished the competition with a total score of 215.30, beaming with joy.
The 2025 CS Kinoshita Group Cup bronze medalists shared that they wished they could have shared the ice with Miura and Kihara on the day, expressing hope that they will have the chance to compete alongside them again later in the season.
Their dream will come true, as Nagaoka and Moriguchi secured Japan’s historic second Olympic spot back at the 2025 Skate to Milano Qualifiers in September. As Japan’s sole competitive team with Miura and Kihara, Nagaoka and Moriguchi will also compete at the Four Continents Championships in Beijing, scheduled for January 21–25, and at the World Championships in late March next year.
Ayumi Kagotani and Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda
Forming their partnership in July, Ayumi Kagotani and Lucas Tsuyoshi Honda made their first appearance together at this event to win the silver medal.
While Honda brings prior experience in pairs skating, Kagotani is still new to the discipline, having transitioned from singles. As a singles skater, she used to train alongside Olympic medalist and World Champion Kaori Sakamoto.
Competing with a double twist and a double throw Salchow, the team compensated by incorporating side-by-side triple Lutz jumps into their short program. Kagotani slightly underrotated her jump, while Honda put a foot down on his. Still finding their footing as a newly formed partnership, they looked shaky on some of the elements but skated through to earn a score of 48.33.
In the free skate to La Strada, they attempted a triple Lutz-double Axel-double toe, but all jumps were deemed underrotated, and Honda doubled the team’s solo flip. Their final lift stood out as their strongest element of the program. The newly formed pair ultimately finished second overall with 133.47 points. As they continue to grow as partners, they will be developing their skating together and strengthening their communication on the ice.
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