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Fear and Gibson of Great Britain Miss Out on European Gold
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson narrowly missed securing Britain’s first gold medal in the European Figure Skating Championships in 32 years.
Entering the final round of the ice dance competition in second place, the duo encountered timing discrepancies during the second element of their free dance routine, impacting their ascent to the top position.
Despite this setback, Fear and Gibson concluded their campaign on the podium for the fourth consecutive European Championships, matching their bronze medal achievement from 2025 and adding to their silver medals from 2023 and 2024.
The performance fuels hopes for Team GB to end a three-decade wait for a place on the Olympic figure skating podium in Milan next month.
The free dance segment allows skaters to fully express their creative vision, and Fear and Gibson capitalized on this opportunity.
Known as the “Disco Brits” for their unconventional musical selection, they presented a Scottish-themed medley, complete with tartan costumes, as a tribute to Gibson’s heritage.
Despite early timing difficulties, a robust finish earned them a standing ovation at the Utilita Arena.
However, the performance fell short of the flawless execution required to break Britain’s three-decade gold drought at the European Championships.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France captured the gold, while Italy’s Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, the reigning continental champions for the past three years, secured silver.
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson have now garnered four successive European Championship medals.
British skaters have not achieved a victory at the European Championships since Dame Jayne Torvill and Sir Christopher Dean’s ice dance triumph in 1994.
Fear, 26, and Gibson, 31, entered with a strong chance to break the drought, positioned second after the rhythm dance, trailing Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron by 1.5 points.
Following a promising start that included a flawless execution of their most challenging lift, Gibson experienced a slight misstep during the synchronised twizzles, the second element of the routine.
Despite regaining composure and delivering a strong finish to the backdrop of bagpipes at Sheffield, their expressions of disappointment on the ice were evident.
Fournier Beaudry, 33, and Cizeron, 31, who partnered in March, ultimately secured the gold.
Their partnership followed Cizeron’s contentious separation from former partner Gabriella Papadakis, who has alleged controlling behavior.
Meanwhile, Fabbri, 37, and Guignard, 36, the oldest male and female skaters at the championships, returned to Sheffield, where they competed in their first European Championship together in 2012.
This marked Fabbri’s 14th Euros, a new record, and resulted in his sixth medal.
Earlier in the competition, fellow British skaters Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez delivered a compelling performance that garnered a standing ovation in Sheffield.
The young duo, aged 20 and 24 respectively, improved as the routine progressed, with their choreographed spin and step movement towards the end earning scores well above their base value in grade of execution.
They achieved a season-best score of 106.75 in the free dance, placing them first overall at the halfway mark.
They finished 11th, solidifying their status as athletes to watch in the years to come, starting with the upcoming Winter Olympics.
The afternoon session featured the conclusion of the men’s competition with the free skate discipline, determining the medalists.
Nika Egadze of Georgia delivered a career-defining performance, landing four quadruple jumps to secure the gold.
The 23-year-old transformed what was anticipated to be a close contest into a decisive victory, scoring 181.72 points and 273.00 overall, marking Georgia’s first European victory in men’s singles and their second gold of the competition.
“When I came to the ice I was a little bit shaky. I started to feel a little bit nervous, but remembered the words of my coaches – I needed to relax a little bit and do it for this amazing crowd,” Egadze stated.
Egadze is coached by Eteri Tutberidze, who attracted attention for her reprimanding of Kamila Valieva at the 2022 Olympics, where the Russian teenager was under investigation for suspected doping.
Tutberidze is renowned in the figure skating world for her rigorous coaching approach. She previously worked with the Russian national team, whose athletes are barred from these championships, and will compete as neutrals at Milan 2026, due to the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Egadze and Tutberidze have collaborated for nine years, and he previously trained at her private rink until a competition-standard venue was built in Georgia last year.
Matteo Rizzo of Italy finished second, while Russian-born Georgii Reshtenko, representing the Czech Republic, climbed from eighth place after the short program to claim third.
Britain’s representative, Edward Appleby, concluded in 24th place.
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