British figure skating pair Luke Digby and Anastasia Vaipan-Law are preparing to unleash what they describe as their competitive "superpower" as they make their Olympic debut at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. The duo, who have been skating together since 2020, have rapidly ascended to become one of Team GB's most promising winter sports prospects.
Historic Achievements Pave Way for Olympic Debut
The Sheffield-born Digby, 24, and Blackpool's Vaipan-Law, 26, have already etched their names into British skating history. Last year, they secured Britain's best European Championships result in 35 years with a fifth-place finish. This achievement was followed by qualifying Team GB for pairs skating at the upcoming Olympics after placing 12th at the 2025 World Championships.
The Telepathic Connection That Fuels Their Success
Off the ice, the pair exhibit what they describe as "sibling energy," with the effervescent Vaipan-Law often assuming the role of younger sister despite being two years older than Digby. This dynamic forms the foundation of a partnership they believe borders on telepathic.
"When it actually comes to the competition and it comes to that moment when we are starting a routine, we don't necessarily say much to each other," Digby revealed. "I think we know where we are and what needs to be done. We do have that telepathic thought process where we can look at each other, and know what the other one is thinking."
Vaipan-Law elaborated on this unique connection: "We do seem to have that, which I feel is our superpower. We both know exactly what we're thinking and what the plan is which is very helpful."
From Solo Careers to Partnership Through Adversity
Their journey to becoming Britain's leading pairs skaters followed remarkably similar paths, with both athletes forced to abandon promising solo careers due to knee injuries.
Digby recalled his transition: "Everything was going very well in my solo career, I had just become junior British champion for the second time and then a few days later, trying new elements, that's when I had my first knee injury. It took me off the ice for about six months and then the same injury reoccurred, and the second time round was really tough."
"I've always been very realistic as well as being optimistic and I knew with what I had to do in my solo career I probably wouldn't get to the level I wanted to go to. That was when I started looking at options."
Vaipan-Law experienced a parallel journey: "It was like everything just kind of fell into place at the right time. I had my knee injury, had surgery, and it felt like the time was right to move into pairs. It was inevitable."
Building a Championship Partnership
Brought together by head coach Simon Briggs, the pair began their partnership in Dundee where they now train. Their initial connection was immediate, despite Digby still recovering from his second knee injury during their early sessions together.
"It was very different," Digby explained. "You spend so many years skating by yourself and all of a sudden you've got to learn to skate with someone else. It's almost completely new."
Vaipan-Law remembered their first tentative steps: "We did the most basic, forward skating. Like I'm not talking about crossovers or anything. He came all the way up to Scotland, did this really easy try out and we were like, 'yeah, this is good.' It was weird, we didn't do an awful lot but we both knew that we had the same mindset, the same motivation and ability."
Final Preparations Before Olympic Debut
With less than a month before their Olympic debut, Digby and Vaipan-Law recently competed at the 2026 European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, finishing seventh. The event returned to the Steel City through funding from the National Lottery as part of UK Sport's Performance event programme.
Despite the seventh-place finish, the pair remain confident they will peak at the right moment for the Olympics. Their partnership has already yielded five consecutive national titles and now the ultimate prize: a place on skating's grandest stage.
UK Sport, described as the UK's trusted high-performance experts, continues to support athletes like Digby and Vaipan-Law in their quest to achieve sporting success that reaches, inspires and unites the nation.
