Lilah Fear
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson at the 2019 Skate Canada
Born (1999-06-11) 11 June 1999
Greenwich, Connecticut, United States
HometownLondon, England
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Figure skating career
Country Great Britain
PartnerLewis Gibson
CoachRomain Haguenauer, Patrice Lauzon, Marie-France Dubreuil
Skating clubAlexandra Palace London
Began skating2004
Medal record
Figure skating: Ice dancing
Representing  Great Britain
European Championships
Silver medal – second place2023 EspooIce dancing

Lilah Fear (born 11 June 1999) is an English-Canadian ice dancer. Representing Great Britain with her skating partner, Lewis Gibson, she is the 2023 European and 2024 European silver medalist, a six-time Grand Prix medalist (including gold at the 2023 NHK Trophy), a four-time Challenger series gold medalist, the 2018 Bavarian Open champion, and a six-time British national champion (2017, 2019–2020, 2022–2024).

Personal life

Fear was born on 11 June 1999 in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States,[1] to Canadian parents.[2] She was raised in London, England, and attended South Hampstead High School.[3][4] Fear is a dual British-Canadian citizen.[5] She has a younger sister, Sasha, who competed in ice dance for Great Britain with her former partner George Waddell. She also has an older sister, Georgia, who was a nationally ranked cross country and track athlete at Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia and now works at Goldman Sachs.

In the fall of 2018, she began studying psychology and communications at McGill University in Montreal.[2]

Career

Early career

Fear began learning to skate in 2004.[1] In the 2013–14 season, she and Jacob Payne won the novice ice dancing title at the British Championships.

In 2014–15, Fear/Payne received two Junior Grand Prix assignments and placed fifteenth at both. In November 2014, they were awarded the junior bronze medal at the British Championships. They were coached by Phillip Poole in Slough, England.[6]

2016–2017 season: Debut of Fear/Gibson

Fear began a partnership with Lewis Gibson, coached by Karen Quinn at the Alexandra Palace Ice Rink in London, England,[3] and by Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[7] The duo made their international debut in late July 2016 at the Lake Placid Ice Dance International, finishing eleventh. Ranked second in both segments, they received the silver medal at a Challenger Series event, the Lombardia Trophy in September. They placed fifth at the International Cup of Nice and fourth at the Open d'Andorra. In December, they won the British national title, in the absence of longtime champions Coomes/Buckland, and silver at the Santa Claus Cup in Hungary.

In January 2017, Fear/Gibson qualified to the final segment at the European Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic; they ranked nineteenth in the short dance, fourteenth in the free dance, and fifteenth overall. They made their World Championship debut later that season, placing twenty-second.

2017–2018 season

Beginning their second season together, Fear/Gibson placed sixth at the International Cup of Nice and won silver medals at the Open d'Andorra and the Ice Challenge. They competed in three Challenger events that season, placing ninth at both the 2017 CS Finlandia Trophy and 2017 CS Lombardia Trophy and fourth at the 2017 CS Warsaw Cup. Competing at the British Championships, they won the silver medal, this time behind a returning Coomes/Buckland. They subsequently competed again at the Santa Claus Cup, placing fourth.

At the end of the season, they were again sent as Great Britain's representation to the 2018 World Championships, placing twenty-fourth.

2018–2019 season: "Disco Brits"

Fear & Gibson perform their trademark disco free dance at the 2018 Skate America

Wanting to challenge themselves, Fear/Gibson selected for their free dance a disco medley of songs by Donna Summer and Earth, Wind and Fire. Both professed as well to be fans of the genre.[2] Gibson said, "A lot of the routines of recent times have been very slow and lyrical, but we wanted to do something fun and something that would stand out to help us make a name for ourselves."[8] The free dance proved to be a huge success with audiences, facilitating what would be a dramatic rise up the international standings, and the team was nicknamed the "Disco Brits" by skating fans.[9] Fear later credited the music selection as "a lucky choice, and from there, it completely redirected us to where we see ourselves going, what we feel is our style and what makes us unique."[10]

Fear/Gibson began their season with two Challenger assignments, placing fourth at the 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy and fifth at the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy. In October 2018, the two finished fifth at the 2018 Skate America – their Grand Prix debut. A month later, they improved their placement by finishing fourth at the 2018 NHK Trophy, achieving new personal bests in the free dance and overall score, and ranking second in the free dance.

After winning their second British national title, Fear/Gibson next competed at the 2019 European Championships, placing seventh in the rhythm dance and sixth in the free, for sixth place overall. They were pleased with the result, Gibson commenting that they "came in with the goal of a top-ten finish after we came 15th two years ago. Now we’ve managed to get two spots for Great Britain next year, which is really exciting."[11] At the 2019 World Championships, they placed thirteenth, having made the free dance for the first time.

2019–2020 season: First Grand Prix medal

After the success of their disco free dance the previous season, Fear and Gibson chose a Madonna medley for their new free dance, aiming to continue the momentum of past success with audience-pleasing choices. For the rhythm dance, required to be musical-themed, Gibson identified tracks from The Blues Brothers. Fear remarked that they "knew that could get the crowd on its feet, hopefully, and people would be tapping their toes."[10]

Fear/Gibson began the season on the Challenger series, winning the silver medal at the 2019 CS Autumn Classic International after placing fifth in the rhythm dance and second in the free dance. At their second Challenger, the 2019 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, they placed sixth in the rhythm dance and third in the free, for fourth place overall. Assigned to two Grand Prix events, they began at 2019 Skate Canada International, where they placed fourth in the rhythm dance and third in the free skate, taking the bronze medal. This was the team's first Grand Prix medal and the first for a British team since 2014. Gibson remarked: "For us, this is huge. We didn't expect it."[12][13] Competing again at the NHK Trophy, they were fourth in the rhythm dance, earning a perfect score on the Finnstep pattern dance for the first time.[14] They were third in the free dance, remaining in fourth place overall.[15]

At the 2020 British Championships, Fear/Gibson placed first in the rhythm dance even though Fear had fallen out of the twizzles and placed first in the free winning their third national title by 73.37 points.[16] In what proved to be their final event of the season, they competed at the 2020 European Championships and placed sixth in the rhythm dance, with Fear losing a twizzle level and them getting only one of the four key points on the Finnstepp pattern dance.[17] Fifth in the free dance, they rose to fifth place overall.[18] They had been assigned to compete at the World Championships in Montreal, but these were cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.[19]

2020–2021 season

Fear/Gibson were assigned to the 2020 Skate Canada International, but this event was also cancelled due to the pandemic.[20] As there were no British championships for the season as a result of the pandemic, on December 3, they were named to Britain's team for the European Championships, alongside Fear's younger sister Sasha.[21] The competition was cancelled on December 10.[22]

Fear/Gibson were again named to represent Britain at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm, where they placed eighth in the rhythm dance before moving up to seventh place in the free dance, surpassing the Canadian team Fournier Beaudry/Sørensen by 0.04 points. Their results qualified a second dance berth for Great Britain at the following year's World Championships and the possibility of a second place at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.[23]

2021–2022 season: Beijing Olympics

For their new free dance for the season, Fear/Gibson chose Hans Zimmer's soundtrack from The Lion King, citing it as a "universal" story about "finding your inner strength."[24] They selected a medley of KISS songs for the rhythm dance, which Gibson attributed to "nostalgia and the want to entertain. That’s what we love to do."[25]

Fear/Gibson began the season at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, winning the bronze medal.[26] At their first Grand Prix assignment, the 2021 Skate Canada International, Fear/Gibson made errors in both segments of the competition, ending up in an unexpectedly low seventh place. Gibson said it was "not what we wanted to do, but we felt strong and connected in the free dance."[24] Following this, they dedicated intensive training time in the short interval before their second event, the 2021 NHK Trophy. Third in both segments, despite a twizzle error from Gibson in the free dance, they won the bronze medal after finishing fourth in two previous appearances at the Japanese Grand Prix. Fear said, "we were really hungry to come out here to make progress, and I feel like we did that."[27]

After winning the Open d'Andorra and their fourth British national title, Fear/Gibson were assigned to the British Olympic team. Gibson remarked, "to feel like years and years of hard work and dedication have paid off is truly one of the most satisfying things."[28] At the 2022 European Championships, Fear/Gibson were fourth in the rhythm dance but fell to fifth place after a twizzle error from Gibson in the free dance.[29]

Competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in the dance event, Fear/Gibson were tenth in the rhythm dance.[25] They were ninth in the free dance, remaining tenth overall.[30] They finished the season at the 2022 World Championships, held with the Russian dance teams absent due to the International Skating Union banning all Russian athletes due to their country's invasion of Ukraine.[31] They were seventh in the rhythm dance but rose to sixth with a new personal best in the free dance.[32][33]

2022–2023 season: European silver

Fear/Gibson at the 2023 Skate Canada International

Fear and Gibson selected for their free dance a medley of Lady Gaga songs, including "Born This Way" which Fear said, "we are really motivated by the message" of.[34] They began the season at the inaugural edition of British Ice Skating's Britannia Cup, winning the gold medal.[35] They appeared twice on the Challenger circuit, winning gold at both the 2022 CS U.S. Classic and the 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, and setting new personal bests at the latter.[26]

On the Grand Prix at the 2022 Skate Canada International, the team again set new personal bests on their way to a silver medal finish.[36] Two weeks later, they were given the unique opportunity to participate in a Grand Prix event on home soil, as the British federation had stepped up to host the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy in lieu of the Cup of China, which had been cancelled due to Chinese pandemic measures. Gibson "really didn't think a home Grand Prix would ever happen."[37] They placed second in the rhythm dance, 0.93 points behind Italians Guignard/Fabbri.[38] With the stands full of fans touting the Union Jack and, in one instance in support of Gibson, the Saltire, both called it a remarkable experience, Fear noting "we're used to seeing that in other countries for their home teams, so the fact that it was for us was such a surprise."[39] In the free dance, Gibson lost control during their choreographic twizzle element, resulting in them scoring below their personal best, but they remained second in the segment overall to take their second silver medal. Their results qualified them for the Grand Prix Final.[40] They were the first British team to qualify for the Final since Sinead and John Kerr in 2009.[41]

Fear/Gibson won their fifth British national title at the beginning of December, with Gibson saying on the occasion, "it's always such a special honour to etch our names again onto one of the most prestigious trophies in Great Britain sports."[42] They were fifth in the rhythm dance at the Grand Prix Final in Turin. Fear likened the experience of the Final to "a dream in Disneyland."[43] They were fourth in the free dance and rose to fourth overall following a major error by Canadian training partners Fournier Beaudry/Sørensen, who dropped to sixth. Fear and Gibson said that they were pleased by the experience and anticipating working on their levelled elements in advance of the European Championships, where they were expected to be in medal contention.[44][45]

At the 2023 European Championships in Espoo, Fear/Gibson entered hoping to challenge Guignard/Fabbri for the gold medal. They scored 84.12 in the rhythm dance, close to their personal best, finishing second in that segment behind the Italians and claiming their first European small medal.[46][47] They were second in the free dance as well, winning the silver medal, their first ISU championship medal.[48][49] This was the first European medal for a British team since Coomes/Buckland in 2014, and the highest placement on the podium since Torvill/Dean's gold in 1994.[50]

Fear/Gibson concluded the season at the 2023 World Championships, where they finished a career-best fourth, 3.15 points back of bronze medalists Gilles/Poirier.[51]

2023–2024 season: Grand Prix gold

For their free dance, Fear and Gibson used the music of the Rocky film franchise, citing its themes of "overcoming adversity and finding strength."[52] In their first competition of the season, Fear/Gibson won gold at the Nebelhorn Trophy for the second consecutive season.[53] Weeks later they won a second Challenger gold at the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial.[26]

On the Grand Prix, the team again began at the 2023 Skate Canada International, winning the silver medal for a second consecutive year.[54] At the 2023 NHK Trophy, Fear/Gibson finished second in the rhythm dance, only 0.34 points behind reigning World bronze medalists Guignard/Fabbri, the pre-event favourites. They won the free dance with a score of 130.26, breaking the 130-point threshold for the first time, overtaking Guignard/Fabbri in the segment by a similarly narrow 0.97 points and winning the gold medal. This was their first Grand Prix victory, and the first for a British dance team.[55] They hailed the result as "a dream come true."[56]

Following their success on the Grand Prix, Fear/Gibson successfully defended their British national title once again.[57] Entering the Grand Prix Final in Beijing with hopes of building on their success at the NHK Trophy, they had serious twizzle difficulties that saw them place fourth in the rhythm dance, but nearly nine points back of third-place Canadians Gilles/Poirier. They had a strong free dance, but remained fourth overall.[58]

Programs

With Gibson

Season Short dance Free dance Exhibition
2023–2024
[59]
2022–2023
[60]
2021–2022
[61]
2019–2021
[62][63]
2018–2019
[1]
2017–2018
[64]
2016–2017
[7]
  • Blues: Save My Soul
    performed by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
  • Swing: Diga Diga Doo
    performed by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

With Payne

Season Short dance Free dance
2015–2016
[65]
  • Foxtrot
  • Waltz
  • Polka
2014–2015
[6]

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Gibson

International[26]
Event 16–17 17–18 18–19 19–20 20–21 21–22 22–23 23–24
Olympics10th
Worlds22nd24th13thC7th6th4th
Europeans15th6th5thC5th2nd2nd
GP Final4th4th
GP NHK Trophy4th4th3rd1st
GP Skate America5th
GP Skate Canada3rdC7th2nd2nd
GP Wilson Trophy2nd
CS Autumn Classic2ndWD
CS Finlandia9th3rd
CS Lombardia2nd9th
CS Nebelhorn4th4th1st1st
CS Ondrej Nepela5thWD1st
CS U.S. Classic1st
CS Warsaw Cup4thWD
Bavarian Open1st
Britannia Cup1st
Cup of Nice5th6th
Ice Challenge2nd
Lake Placid IDI11th
Open d'Andorra4th2nd1st
Santa Claus Cup2nd4th
Shanghai Trophy2nd
National[26]
British Champ.1st2nd1st1stC1st1st1st
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Event cancelled

With Payne

International[66]
Event 13–14 14–15
JGP Estonia15th
JGP Germany15th
NRW Trophy10th J
Santa Claus Cup11th J
National[66]
British Champ.1st N3rd J
Levels: N = Advanced novice; J = Junior

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Getting to know Great Britain's Fear and Gibson". Ice-Dance.com. 20 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 Corbett, Charlie (15 December 2016). "Ice dance sisters are set to take on the world". Camden New Journal. Archived from the original on 24 January 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  4. ↑ Wilson, Mike (27 January 2017). "Skaters Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear head to European Championships". Daily Record (Scotland).
  5. ↑ Smith, Bev (29 August 2017). "The Waddell Brothers: an extraordinary test". Bev Smith Writes. [Fear's] parents were Canadians who had moved to Britain. Both Sasha and Lilah had dual citizenship.
  6. 1 2 "Lilah FEAR / Jacob PAYNE: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. 1 2 "Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017.
  8. ↑ Falkingham, Katie (30 November 2018). "British Figure Skating Championships: Lewis Gibson & Lilah Fear on Olympic ambitions". BBC News.
  9. ↑ Wein, Aly Leia (February 2020). "Meet Lewis Gibson". Edges of Glory.
  10. 1 2 Brodie, Robert (12 March 2020). "LILAH FEAR & LEWIS GIBSON DANCING UP A STORM". International Figure Skating.
  11. ↑ Slater, Paula (26 January 2019). "Papadakis and Cizeron defend European title; pockets fifth consecutive gold". Golden Skate.
  12. ↑ Slater, Paula (26 October 2019). "Hubbell and Donohue dance to lead at 2019 Skate Canada". Golden Skate.
  13. ↑ Slater, Paula (27 October 2019). "Canada's Gilles and Poirier snag Skate Canada title". Golden Skate.
  14. ↑ Slater, Paula (22 November 2019). "Papadakis and Cizeron grab lead in Sapporo with record score". Golden Skate.
  15. ↑ Slater, Paula (23 November 2019). "Papadakis and Cizeron take NHK Trophy gold with record scores". Golden Skate.
  16. ↑ Bradley, Jane (1 December 2019). "Medal haul for Scottish skaters at British championships". The Scotsman.
  17. ↑ Slater, Paula (23 January 2020). "Papadakis and Cizeron take narrow lead at Europeans". Golden Skate.
  18. ↑ Slater, Paula (25 January 2020). "Sinitsina and Katsalapov edge out French for European title". Golden Skate.
  19. ↑ Ewing, Lori (11 March 2020). "World figure skating championships cancelled in Montreal". CBC Sports.
  20. ↑ "Skate Canada International in Ottawa cancelled as COVID-19 cases rise". CBC Sports. 14 October 1020.
  21. ↑ "European Figure Skating Championships 2021 – GBR team announced". British Ice Skating. 3 December 2020.
  22. ↑ "Update on ISU Event Calendar season 2020/21". ISU. 10 December 2020.
  23. ↑ Bradley, Jane (27 March 2021). "World Figure Skating Championships: Fear and Gibson smash expectations with seventh place finish". The Scotsman.
  24. 1 2 Slater, Paula (31 October 2021). "Gilles and Poirier win second consecutive Skate Canada title". Golden Skate.
  25. 1 2 Mason, Lewis (12 February 2022). "'Proud' Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson qualify for the next round of Beijing ice dance". Eurosport.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 "Competition Results: Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018.
  27. ↑ Bradley, Jane (13 November 2021). "Scots ice dancer Lewis Gibson and partner Lilah Fear win bronze at Grand Prix in Japan". The Scotsman.
  28. ↑ Behan, Paul (5 January 2022). "Beijing Winter Olympics beckons for talented Ayrshire figure skater". Daily Record.
  29. ↑ Slater, Paula (15 January 2022). "Sinitsina and Katsalapov defend European title". Golden Skate.
  30. ↑ Hincks, Michael (14 February 2022). "Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson's free dance to Lion King soundtrack seals top-10 finish for GB at Winter Olympics". Eurosport.
  31. ↑ Campigotto, Jesse (22 March 2022). "Get ready for a bizarre figure skating world championships". CBC Sports.
  32. ↑ Slater, Paula (25 March 2022). "Papadakis and Cizeron set another record score in the Rhythm Dance". Golden Skate.
  33. ↑ Slater, Paula (26 March 2022). "Papadakis and Cizeron win fifth World title". Golden Skate.
  34. ↑ "Gilles/Poirier (CAN) dance off with third Skate Canada International title". International Skating Union. 29 October 2022.
  35. ↑ "Home gold at Britannia Figure Cup". British Ice Skating. 30 August 2022.
  36. ↑ Slater, Paula (29 October 2022). "Gilles and Poirier defend Skate Canada title". Golden Skate.
  37. ↑ McCarvel, Nick (12 November 2022). "Knocking on door of skating's ice dance elite, British duo Fear and Gibson ask: 'Why not?'". Olympic Channel.
  38. ↑ McCarvel, Nick (12 November 2022). "Mihara Mai tops women's short program at British Grand Prix as Guignard/ Fabbri hold off home hopes in ice dance". Olympic Channel.
  39. ↑ Bradley, Jane (14 November 2022). "'This is not a normal competition': Scottish ice dancer in silver medal position praises UK crowd in first ever home international competition". The Scotsman.
  40. ↑ Slater, Paula (13 November 2022). "Guignard and Fabbri dominate Ice Dance in Sheffield". Golden Skate.
  41. ↑ Bradley, Jane (22 November 2022). "Scottish ice dancer first in 13 years to qualify for figure skating Grand Prix final". The Scotsman.
  42. ↑ Bradley, Jane (4 December 2022). "Scottish figure skater scoops national title for sixth time". The Scotsman.
  43. ↑ Slater, Paula (9 December 2022). "Gilles and Poirier lead with narrow margin in rhythm dance". Golden Skate.
  44. ↑ Slater, Paula (11 December 2022). "Gilles and Poirier dance to Grand Prix Final gold". Golden Skate.
  45. ↑ Bradley, Jane; Knight, Sarah (11 December 2022). "Fourth place in Grand Prix final sets Scottish skater on promising path for European championships". The Scotsman.
  46. ↑ Slater, Paula (27 January 2023). "Guignard and Fabbri take slight lead at Europeans". Golden Skate.
  47. ↑ "Guignard/Fabbri (ITA) find the right rhythm for the prime spot in the Ice Dance in Espoo". International Skating Union. 27 January 2023.
  48. ↑ Slater, Paula (28 January 2023). "Guignard and Fabbri grab elusive gold in Espoo". Golden Skate.
  49. ↑ "Guignard/Fabbri end nine-year gold medal drought for Italian Ice Dance in Espoo". International Skating Union. 28 January 2023.
  50. ↑ Bradley, Jane (29 January 2023). "Lewis Gibson: Highest British medal win since Torvill and Dean for Scottish ice dancer". The Scotsman.
  51. ↑ Slater, Paula (25 March 2023). "Chock and Bates golden in Saitama". Golden Skate.
  52. ↑ Bradley, Jane (29 October 2023). "Scottish ice dancer wins silver in first major event of new figure skating season". The Scotsman. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  53. ↑ "Gold for Fear/Gibson at Nebelhorn Trophy". British Ice Skating. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  54. ↑ Slater, Paula (29 October 2023). "Gilles and Poirier win fourth consecutive Skate Canada title". Golden Skate. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  55. ↑ Slater, Paula (25 November 2023). "Fear and Gibson edge out Italians for NHK Trophy gold". Golden Skate. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  56. ↑ Bradley, Jane (25 November 2023). "NHK Trophy: 'Dream come true' for ice dancers Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson as they win gold in Japan Grand Prix". The Scotsman. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  57. ↑ Bradley, Jane (4 December 2023). "Scots win national titles at British Figure Skating Championships". The Scotsman. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  58. ↑ Slater, Paula (10 December 2023). "Chock and Bates snatch elusive gold at Grand Prix Final". Golden Skate. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  59. ↑ "Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023.
  60. ↑ "Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022.
  61. ↑ "Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021.
  62. ↑ "Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019.
  63. ↑ "Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021.
  64. ↑ "Lilah FEAR / Lewis GIBSON: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018.
  65. ↑ "Lilah FEAR / Jacob PAYNE: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016.
  66. 1 2 "Competition Results: Lilah FEAR / Jacob PAYNE". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 28 January 2017.
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