Nov 30 (Kyodo) - Japan's Daisuke Takahashi may already be royalty in the eyes of many Japanese figure skating fans, but on Sunday he declared himself the man who would be king in his bid to emulate Japan's ageless soccer icon, Kazuyoshi "King Kazu" Miura.
Takahashi, 34, and his 27-year-old partner Kana Muramoto on Sunday performed in the NHK Trophy exhibition a day after they finished third in a three-couple field at Ractab Dome in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture.
This year, the 53-year-old Miura shattered Japan's record for the oldest player to take part in a first-division game.
Takahashi, who in 2010 became the first Japanese men's skater to win an Olympic medal and a world championship, switched to ice dance this season.
"I'm not setting an age limit. I'll keep going as long as I can," he said after delighting fans with a display of his ice dance skills alongside Muramoto, who he began working with earlier this year.
