The Scottish skater who has broken the British record held by Torvill and Dean
The duo are to compete for a medal at this year’s Winter Olympics
A Scottish ice dancer has made history by winning his eighth British title - smashing records previously held by figure skating legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
Lewis Gibson, from Prestwick, won the ice dance gold medal at the British Figure Skating Championships with his partner Lilah Fear for the eighth time, making the pair the most decorated British ice dancers in history.
The record of seven gold medals at a British Championships was previously held jointly by Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean and Scottish brother and sister ice dance team Sinead and John Kerr.
The pair, who are among the top few ice dancers in the world, are in medal contention at next year's Winter Olympics. Last year, they became the first British skaters ever to win a medal at the ISU Grand Prix Final, capturing bronze in Grenoble.
Ms Fear said: “It’s wild because Torvill and Dean are the British ice dance team, and just to have our names mentioned alongside theirs, let alone to have won it eight times, is crazy. It means so much and it shows the history we have here, all the memories we’ve built and how we’ve grown over those eight years, so it’s really cool to look back on.”
Mr Gibson added: “I remember that first year we won – we were so new together – and everything we’ve experienced since then has been so meaningful. To still be here eight years later, skating better than ever and pushing British ice dance forward, is something we’re really proud of.”
Their free dance this year is set to a medley of Scottish music, including Now (I’m Gonna Be) 500 miles by The Proclaimers.
The programme echoes a performance by the Kerrs, from Edinburgh, who finished eighth at the World Figure Skating Championships in 2008 with a ceilidh-themed programme, dressed in tartan costumes.
Meanwhile, their rhythm dance programme is themed to the Spice Girls, with Ms Fear in a Union Jack dress similar to the one worn by 1990s pop icon Ginger Spice.
Mr Gibson and Ms Fear are now due to compete in this year’s Grand Prix final in Nagoya, Japan, before the European Figure Skating Championships, which are to be held in Sheffield in the first time in over a decade that a major ISU figure skating championship has been staged in the UK.
They will also be vying for a medal in the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague in March, a few weeks after the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.
Mr Gibson said: “We’re so excited for people in the UK to experience this level of skating live. To hear a home crowd behind us at Europeans, in an Olympic season, is going to be something we remember for the rest of our lives.”
Ms Fear added: “To have a major championship at home is so special. We grew up watching these events on TV, so the idea of skating a European Championships in front of a British crowd gives us goosebumps. We can’t wait to feel that energy in the arena.”
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