| Rika Kihira Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 1 in |
| Weight | 45 kg |
| Date of Birth | July 21, 2002 |
| Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Rika Kihira is a Japanese figure skater who has won the ‘Gold’ medal at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships (2019, 2020), the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in the 2018-19 season, the Japan Figure Skating Championships (2019-20), the 2018 Internationaux de France event, the 2018 GP NHK Trophy, the 2019 CS Autumn Classic International, the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy, and the International Challenge Cup (2019, 2020). She had also won the ‘Silver’ medal at the Japan Figure Skating Championships (2018-19), 2019 GP Skate Canada International, and the 2019 GP NHK Trophy; and the ‘Bronze’ medal at the Japan Figure Skating Championships (2017-18). She had started her senior career in 2018 after having impressed in the junior tier over the preceding 2 years where she had won the ‘Gold’ medal at the Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships (2017-18), 2016 ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Slovenia, and the 2017 Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy. She had also won the ‘Silver’ medal at the 2016 ISU JGP Czech Republic and the 2017 ISU JGP Latvia; along with a ‘Bronze’ medal at the 2017 ISU JGP Italy. At the team level, she had won the ‘Silver’ medal at the 2019 Japan Open (3rd in the individual competition) as well as the 2019 ISU World Team Trophy (4th in the individual competition). She was ranked number 1 in the world in the official ladies’ singles rankings issued by the International Skating Union (ISU) at the end of the 2019-20 season.
Born Name
Rika Kihira
Nick Name
Rika
Sun Sign
Cancer
Born Place
Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
Residence
Japan
Nationality
Education
Rika, as of August 2020, was a high school student.
Occupation
Figure Skater
Family
- Father – Katsumi Kihira
- Mother – Mika Kihira
- Siblings – Moe Kihira (Older Sister) (Dancer)
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 1 in or 155 cm
Weight
45 kg or 99 lbs
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Japanese)
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Shoulder-length, straight hair
- Charming smile
- Gleaming face
Rika Kihira Facts
- Rika, like most competitive figure skaters, had started getting trained in the sport from a very early age. She had started getting coached in 2007 and her breakthrough had come in the 2015-16 season when she had won the ‘Gold’ medal at the Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships in the ‘Novice A’ tier as well as the ‘Gold’ medal at the Triglav Trophy in the ‘International: Advanced Novice’ tier.
- She holds the record of being the first female skater in history to successfully land a triple Axel-triple toe loop combination. She had achieved that feat at the Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Final in the 2017–18 season. At the 2016 JGP Slovenia event, she had become the first female skater to successfully land 8 clean (fully rotated) triples in the free skate program (3A, 3Lz+3T, 3Lo, 2A+3T, 3F+2T+2Lo, 3S, 3Lz).
- When she won the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in 2020, she became the first female skater to win the prestigious tournament in successive years.
- At the 2019 ISU World Team Trophy, she had set the world record for the short program at the senior level by recording 83.97 points. She had beaten her own record of 82.51 points that she had set at the 2018–19 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. The record was broken by Alena Kostornaia at the 2019 GP NHK Trophy.
Featured Image by Rika Kihira / Instagram
