British ice dancing stars Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson have put themselves in a brilliant position to challenge for a historic European title after a superb performance on home ice in Sheffield.
Season's Best Score Delights Home Crowd
The three-time European medallists delivered a vibrant and near-flawless rhythm dance on Friday, 16 January 2026, earning a season's best score of 85.47 points. Their energetic routine to a Spice Girls medley, featuring Fear in a bedazzled Union Jack dress, had the Sheffield audience cheering and clapping throughout.
The judging panel rewarded their technical excellence, scoring them highly across all mandatory elements. This strong performance leaves them in second place on the leaderboard, perfectly poised ahead of Saturday's decisive free dance.
Chasing History and Olympic Momentum
Fear and Gibson are now tantalisingly close to upgrading their medal collection. After winning back-to-back European silver medals followed by bronze last year in Tallinn, they could now secure Britain's first European ice dance crown in 32 years. The last British pair to achieve this were the legendary Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean in 1994.
Their form is a major boost with the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics just a month away. The duo have enjoyed a superb season, including a third-place finish at December's Grand Prix Final. Last year, they also won Britain's first world championship medal in ice dance for 41 years, a bronze, further cementing their status at the sport's summit.
A Tight Battle for the Podium
The competition at the top is incredibly close. The leaders are French 2022 Olympic champion Guillaume Cizeron and his new partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry, who hold a narrow advantage of just 1.5 points despite only skating together for nine months.
In third place, 0.99 points behind the Brits, are the reigning and three-time consecutive European champions, Italians Marco Fabbri and Charlene Guignard. They were the final pair to skate after Fear and Gibson, setting up a thrilling finale for Saturday.
There was more cause for British celebration as the younger pairing of Phebe Bekker, 20, and James Hernandez, 24, impressed with their rhythm dance to a George Michael medley. They currently sit in 11th place, improving on their 13th-place finish from last year's Europeans.
All eyes will now be on the Ice Sheffield rink for the free dance, where Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson will skate with a historic gold medal within their reach.
