World Figure Skating Championships 2023: GB's Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear want the crowd to 'get loud'

1 year ago 39

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson dancing their escaped creation astatine the European Championships

In the words of American actress, vocalist and dancer Jennifer Lopez, "let's get loud".

That's what Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear anticipation they tin bash erstwhile they bid for Britain's archetypal medal successful 39 years astatine the World Figure Skating Championships successful Japan.

The crystal creation duo program to bring "joyful, explosive entertainment" to the rink, caller from their silver medal astatine January's European Championships.

Asked by BBC Sport what it would mean to triumph gold, they some replied: "It would beryllium a imagination travel true."

Fear added: "Both of america conscionable privation to amusement the joyousness we person for this athletics due to the fact that that's the crushed we some bash it."

They volition execute their prescribed Latin-inspired bushed creation connected Friday, earlier the medals are decided connected Saturday with the escaped dance, which volition beryllium disposable to ticker connected the Red Button, iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app (03:30-06:55 GMT).

Watch GB's Lewis Gibson & Lilah Fear connected BBC

They could go the archetypal Britons to marque the podium astatine the World Championships since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean successful 1984.

And they question to Japan disconnected the backmost of their astir palmy play to date.

A fourth-place decorativeness successful this season's Grand Prix Final and their metallic astatine the European Figure Skating Championships means Gibson and Fear are 2nd successful the satellite standings.

Olympic and satellite champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron are sitting retired this season, opening the doorway for caller satellite champions. Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier and European champions Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri are besides apt to beryllium successful the mix.

'We alteration things each azygous day'

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson creation their bushed dance

As the girl of a fig skater, English-Canadian Fear was conscionable 2 years aged erstwhile she archetypal stepped connected to the crystal successful Canada.

But for Scotsman Gibson, his way into the athletics was acold little conventional.

"I started astatine 11 years aged aft watching the archetypal play of Dancing connected Ice," helium said.

"I was inspired by the amusive the celebrities were having and the situation it seemed to beryllium for them to larn thing new."

Since joining forces earlier the 2016-17 season, the duo person go five-time nationalist champions, European metallic medallists and person represented Team GB astatine the 2022 Winter Olympics successful Beijing, wherever they finished 10th.

On aiming for golden aft being truthful adjacent astatine the European Championships, Fear said: "This is conscionable the adjacent measurement of the play and we're truly bully astatine compartmentalising each contention and the progression of the season.

"We've made a batch of refinements since past and are truly excited to showcase that and conscionable amusement however beardown we are from our training.

"We alteration things each azygous time and I'm not adjacent exaggerating."

'I'm hoping determination volition beryllium noise'

When Fear and Gibson made their Olympic debut successful 2022, they performed to a minimal crowd, who were encouraged to debar cheering oregon shouting due to the fact that of Covid-19 restrictions successful China's capital.

A twelvemonth later, they anticipation "there volition beryllium noise" astatine the Saitama Super Arena, neat Tokyo.

"It's a immense arena and it's 1 of our favourites places to perform," said Fear.

"Even successful the practices they've been the astir afloat successful presumption of spectators than immoderate contention I've been at. They're truthful large and supportive, which is thing we truly provender off, truthful I'm hoping determination volition beryllium noise."

"As J Lo says, 'let's get loud'," added Gibson.