Li Lailong: New Era for Japanese Figure Skating | CNA

(Central News Agency reporter Dai Yazhen, Tokyo, 23rd) The “Riraiyu” combination of Miura Rirai and Kihara Ryuichi, who won Japan’s first ever gold medal in the figure skating pairs event at the Milan Winter Olympics, continued to be a hot topic after the game. From the lifting scene at the closing ceremony to the “five-ring miracle photo” that went viral on social media, their popularity has been rising, and they are expected to become the new darlings of the Japanese advertising industry.

The Winter Olympics closing ceremony took place at the World Heritage Coliseum on the evening of the 22nd. A total of 52 Japanese athletes and related people attended. The flag bearers were speed skater Shigehiro Mori and women’s figure skating silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto. The two entered the venue holding Japanese flags, Sakamoto was smiling, and the atmosphere was relaxed and joyful.

And “Rirailong” once again became the focus of the audience. Kihara lifted Miura high like during the competition and asked her to pick up her mobile phone from a high place to take pictures of the venue, and the interaction was natural. In fact, the two had performed the same action as early as the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics closing ceremony, and they repeated it again this time, leaving a deep impression on the audience.

Looking back on this tournament, “Li Lailong” quickly adjusted his mentality under the unfavorable situation of only ranking 5th in the short song, broke the world record in the long song, staged a great comeback and won the gold medal. The dramatic process became a topic. After the long song ended, the scene of Miura hugging Kihara went viral on social media, and it is still Miura’s X and Instagram account avatar.

During the performance yesterday, the zipper on the back of Miura’s costume was not zipped properly, and Kihara naturally helped her solve the problem. Netizens also said that “the relationship is really good” and “makes me want to support them even more.”

At the awards ceremony, Kihara carried Miura up and down the podium with his arms in his arms, and was even nicknamed “Kihara Transport” by fans. Kihara once revealed that he only wanted to “not let Miura get hurt” by doing this, and was praised as “he is basically a prince.” In addition, Miura’s cute reaction of falling from his seat when he was surprised by the high score in the team competition also further attracted fans.

The photos Miura uploaded on X today have once again caused a stir. This photo was taken in front of the Olympic rings logo in the athletes’ village. In the picture, Miura leaps high and spreads his feet, just overlapping the top of the five rings. It looks like he is “sitting on the five rings.” Miura also revealed the truth, “It looks like he is sitting on the fifth ring, but it was actually thrown up by Long Yi!!” This “miracle photo” was captured because of the perfect coincidence of height, angle and timing.

The photo has exceeded 320,000 likes and been forwarded more than 25,000 times. It has also accumulated more than 260,000 likes on Instagram, and its diffusion rate continues to increase.

As the topic of gold medals and heart-warming interactions continue to ferment, the advertising industry has also begun to pay close attention to this pair.

Japanese media Sponichi Annex reported that relevant people pointed out that the deep sense of trust conveyed by the two people was unanimously praised by the audience and also attracted great attention from the advertising industry. A source from an advertising agency said, “Every company may want to use them to shoot advertisements, and I’m afraid there will be a battle for them.”

Relevant sources pointed out that the advertising content may focus on the bond and trust between the two. “For example, large insurance companies that need to emphasize the trust relationship with customers are likely to target them.” He also estimated that the price of an annual endorsement contract will be around 30 million to 40 million yen (NT$6.1 million to 8.1 million NT dollars).

From the shocking reversal on the field, to the “Kihara Transport” at the awards ceremony and the high-flying scene at the closing ceremony, as well as the “Five Rings Miracle Photo” that went viral in the community, “Rirailong” not only wrote a new page for Japanese figure skating, but also continued to expand its influence with the sincere tacit understanding between the two. (Editor: Chen Chenggong) 1150223

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