Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson finished seventh in the ice dance event at the Milan Olympics, extending Britain's 30-year wait for a figure skating medal. The pair, ranked world No. 1 heading into the season, were expected to become the first British medallists since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won bronze in 1994.
Fear and Gibson scored 204.32 overall, 13 points off the podium, after a costly mistake in the twizzle sequence during their free dance. Fear stumbled and received a level 2 on the element, while Gibson achieved a level 4. The rest of the routine, set to Scottish music including 'The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond' and 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)', was strong, but the early error proved decisive.
France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron won gold with 225.82 points, despite errors from Cizeron. It was Cizeron's second consecutive Olympic gold after winning in Beijing with former partner Gabriella Papadakis. The US pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates took silver with 224.39, while Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier earned bronze with 217.74.
Fear expressed devastation after the performance, saying on TNT Sports: 'I can't believe I just did that. I feel so bad, I'm devastated. I'm in shock; I can't believe it happened.' British Ice Skating performance director Jon Eley said he was 'gutted' for the pair, noting they practice the twizzle sequence multiple times a day.
The result marks Britain's sixth day without a medal at these Olympics and was Fear and Gibson's worst finish since placing 10th in Beijing 2022.
