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Lilah Fear (born 11 June 1999) is an American-born British ice dancer. Representing Great Britain with her skating partner, Lewis Gibson, she is the 2025 World bronze medalist; theirs was the first World medal for Britain in 41 years. Fear is also a four-time European medalist, a two-time Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, a ten-time Grand Prix medalist (including four gold), an eight-time ISU Challenger Series gold medalist, and an eight-time British national champion (2017, 2019–2020, 2021–2026).
In the autumn of 2018, she began studying psychology and communications at McGill University in Montreal.
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.
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.
At the end of the season, they were again sent as Great Britain's representation to the 2018 World Championships, placing twenty-fourth.
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." At the 2019 World Championships, they placed thirteenth, having made the free dance for the first time.
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." 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. They were third in the free dance, remaining in fourth place overall.
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. 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. Fifth in the free dance, they rose to fifth place overall. They had been assigned to compete at the World Championships in Montreal, but these were cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
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.
Fear/Gibson began the season at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, winning the bronze medal. 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." 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."
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." 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.
Competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in the dance event, Fear/Gibson were tenth in the rhythm dance. They were ninth in the free dance, remaining tenth overall. 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. They were seventh in the rhythm dance but rose to sixth with a new personal best in the free dance.
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. 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." They placed second in the rhythm dance, 0.93 points behind Italians Guignard/Marco Fabbri. 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." 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. They were the first British team to qualify for the Final since Sinead Kerr and John Kerr in 2009.
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." 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." 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.
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. They were second in the free dance as well, winning the silver medal, their first ISU championship medal. This was the first European medal for a British team since Penny Coomes/Buckland in 2014, and the highest placement on the podium since Torvill/Dean's gold in 1994.
Fear/Gibson concluded the season at the 2023 World Championships, where they finished a career-best fourth, 3.15 points back of bronze medalists Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier.
On the Grand Prix, the team again began at the 2023 Skate Canada International, winning the silver medal for a second consecutive year. At the 2023 NHK Trophy, Fear/Gibson finished second in the rhythm dance, only 0.34 points behind reigning World bronze medalists Guignard/Marco 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. They hailed the result as "a dream come true."
Following their success on the Grand Prix, Fear/Gibson successfully defended their British national title once again. 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 Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier. They had a strong free dance, but remained fourth overall.
At the 2024 European Championships in Kaunas, Fear/Gibson finished second in both the rhythm dance and free dance, in the latter segment having an error on their dance spin and Fear losing a twizzle level. She noted they had "a couple of little blips, but we fought till the very end, from start to finish." They won their second consecutive European silver medal. The 2024 World Championships were held in Montreal, home of the team's training base. Fear/Gibson placed fourth in both segments and fourth overall, for the second year in a row.
Having been silver medalists at the prior two European Championships, Fear and Gibson entered the 2025 edition in Tallinn hoping to challenge Italian reigning champions Guignard/Marco Fabbri for the gold. However, they finished an unexpected third in the rhythm dance, behind both the Italians and the French team Lopareva/Brissaud. They rebounded somewhat in the free dance, coming second in that segment, but remained in third overall, 0.74 points behind Lopareva/Brissaud. The two expressed satisfaction in their performance in the free, Fear saying "I feel nothing but pride for ourselves."
Despite the European result, Fear and Gibson expressed optimism about their chance of reaching the World podium for the first time at the 2025 World Championships in Boston. They came third in the rhythm dance with a score of 83.86, behind Chock/Bates and Gilles/Poirier but 0.82 points ahead of Guignard/Fabbri in fourth, the Italians having struggled with their twizzle elements. The team earned a bronze small medal for the segment. Fear/Gibson had some technical issues in the free dance, including a point deduction for an extended lift, and came sixth in that segment, but their score (123.25) was sufficient to remain in third overall. This was the first World medal for a British competitor since Torvill/Dean's final gold medal in 1984. Fear called it "a dream come true," while Gibson said he hoped "that there are little kids out there in Great Britain seeing this and wanting to put their skates on as well."
Three weeks later, Fear and Gibson won the gold at 2025 NHK Trophy, thus qualifying for the 2025–26 Grand Prix Final. The team posted a new personal best in the free dance. "We're both very proud of the competitions that we've had so far this season," said Gibson. "Just being able to feel more like it's our training that's in the competition has been such a big step up for us this season, and something that we definitely look to build upon for the rest of the season."
In December, after winning their eighth British national title, Fear and Gibson took their second consecutive Grand Prix Final bronze medal at 2025–26 Grand Prix Final. "I think we’re both very proud of how we’ve competed so far," said Gibson. "It feels like a great achievement and I’m just really looking forward to getting back to work and our next competitions."
On 10 December 2025, Fear and Gibson were named in the Great Britain team for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The following month, Fear and Gibson took the bronze at the 2026 European Championships. "Today was not ideal, definitely not what we planned," said Fear after the free dance. "So of course we’re really frustrated about that. But I’m extremely proud of how we came back after the mistake. And we did want to enjoy the rest of it, so we really made sure to flip that switch and take in the amazing opportunity of skating with the whole crowd."
In early February, it was announced that Fear, along with bobsledder Brad Hall, had been selected as a flag bearer for the 2026 Winter Olympic opening ceremony.
On February 6, Fear and Gibson took part in the 2026 Winter Olympics Figure Skating Team Event where they placed third in the Rhythm Dance with a new personal best score of 86.75. “It was electric!” said Fear. “It was a moment and a memory that I will cherish forever. I’m so proud of us for doing exactly what we trained. The pressure was on and there was so much going on, and it was just so much fun!”
Five days later, Fear and Gibson finished seventh overall at the 2026 Winter Olympics after mistake on a twizzle in the free dance. “It was just a really costly technical mistake,” said Fear. “Which was tough very early in the program because I kind of knew we kind of lost bronze at that point. But I also really wanted to not let the Olympic experience just disappear because of that."
Career
Early career
Fear began learning to skate in 2004. In the 2013–14 season, she and Jacob Payne won the novice ice dancing title at the British Championships.
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, and by Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 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 Penny Coomes/Buckland, and silver at the Santa Claus Cup in Hungary.
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.
2018–2019 season: "Disco Brits"
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. 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." 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. 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."
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."
2020–2021 season
Fear/Gibson were assigned to the 2020 Skate Canada International, but this event was also cancelled due to the pandemic. 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. The competition was cancelled on December 10.
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." 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."
2022–2023 season: European silver
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. They began the season at the inaugural edition of British Ice Skating's Britannia Cup, winning the gold medal. 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.
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." "It’s so well known," Fear said. "To be able to tell that story on the ice, it’s something that we connect to as humans.” In their first competition of the season, Fear/Gibson won gold at the Nebelhorn Trophy for the second consecutive season. Weeks later they won a second Challenger gold at the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial.
2024–2025 season: World bronze
In their first international competition of the season, Fear and Gibson won gold at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. On the Grand Prix, they entered the Skate America in Allen, Texas as the favourites for the silver medal, behind reigning World champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates of the United States. However, Fear/Gibson won the rhythm dance segment after Chock fell, and enjoyed a margin of more than five points on the Americans going into the free dance. They came second in the free dance, but remained in first place by a margin of 0.75 points. They were the first non-American dance team to win Skate America since 2008. The following weekend they contested a second Challenger event, winning another gold at the CS Nepela Memorial. At their second Grand Prix assignment, the Finlandia Trophy, Fear/Gibson were again not the favourites at the outset, coming second in the rhythm dance behind reigning World silver medalists Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier of Canada. However, the frontrunners faltered again, with Poirier falling in the free dance, and the British claimed their second Grand Prix gold of the season.
Following their Grand Prix events, Fear/Gibson won their seventh British national title, equaling their idols Torvill and Dean's tally. At the 2024–25 Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, Fear/Gibson finished third in the rhythm dance segment, after Gilles/Poirier finished last in the segment with another fall. Fear/Gibson were fourth in the free dance, the Canadians rebounding to come second in that segment, but the British remained in third overall and won the bronze medal. This was the first-ever British medal at the Grand Prix Final. Gibson called it "a huge achievement. It's one of those things that are in a next level to reach, and we are so pleased."
2025–2026 season: Grand Prix Final bronze and European bronze
Fear and Gibson opened the season with a win at the 2025 Bolero Cup in September. A few weeks later, they took their seventh consecutive ISU Challenger Series gold at 2025 Nebelhorn Trophy. The following month, they placed a close second behind the new team of France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron at 2025 Grand Prix de France. "It's been a decade of amazing memories. We've had highs and lows, and it was fun looking through our videos from all this time together," said Fear of their 10-year-partnership.
Programmes
Ice dance with Lewis Gibson
With Payne
Competitive highlights
Ice dance with Lewis Gibson
With Payne
15th 15th 10th J 11th J 3rd J
Detailed results
Ice dance with Lewis Gibson
External links
Categories: 1999 Births, Living People, Figure Skaters From London, English Female Ice Dancers, American Female Ice Dancers, American Emigrants To England, English People Of Canadian Descent, American People Of Canadian Descent, Figure Skaters At The 2022 Winter Olympics, Figure Skaters At The 2026 Winter Olympics, Olympic Figure Skaters For Great Britain, American Emigrants To The United Kingdom, European Figure Skating Championships Medalists, Mcgill University Alumni, People Educated At South Hampstead High School, World Figure Skating Championships Medalists, 21st-century American Sportswomen, 21st-century English Sportswomen, British Female Ice Dancers, Sportspeople Of Canadian Descent
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