Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear saw their dream of becoming the first British Olympic skating medallists since 1994 shattered after a critical mistake early in their free dance routine at the Milan Ice Skating Arena. The Team GB pair, who had been fourth after the rhythm dance, slipped to seventh overall following the error.
Barely a minute into their routine, Fear lost balance during a twizzle sequence, prompting two yellow boxes indicating technical faults. Their free dance score of 118.35 placed them 12th in that segment, giving a combined total of 204.32 points. The bronze medal went to Canada's Paul Poirier and Piper Gilles with 217.73 points.
A visibly devastated Fear said: 'I can't believe I just did that. I feel so bad, I'm devastated. It's such a shame because I know what we're capable of.' Gibson added: 'When you don't perform the way you want to on any day it's tough to take, but at the Olympic Games it's even harder.'
Gold was claimed by controversial French couple Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron (225.82 points), who faced scrutiny over allegations from Cizeron's former partner Gabriella Papadakis and a suspension of Fournier Beaudry's former partner. The American duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates took silver (224.39 points).
British Ice Skating's performance director Jon Eley expressed his disappointment: 'I'm gutted. They have shown over the last cycle how good they really are. For them not to deliver on this stage is upsetting.' The result extends Team GB's long wait for an Olympic skating medal, last achieved by Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean in 1994.
