The gold medal victory of Japanese figure skating pair Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara at the Milan-Cortina Olympics marked a significant milestone in the country's pairs skating history.
mark a significant milestone:大きな節目となる、大きな金字塔を打ち立てる
pairs skating:フィギュア・ペア競技
On Monday, Miura, 24, and Kihara, 33, won Japan's first Olympic medal of any color in pairs skating since the country first took part in the event at the 1972 Sapporo Olympics.
They came back from fifth place in the short program the previous day.
In Japan, pairs skating used to be less popular than singles skating, with fewer athletes in the discipline. This was primarily due to the limited training environment. A lack of coaches forced skaters to train abroad. There were also few domestic ice rinks for practicing acrobatic moves.
Initially a singles skater, Kihara was invited by the Japan Skating Federation to try out for the pairs competition due to his solid skating skills and sincere personality.