Lewis Gibson is looking to keep up his winning ways as he begins a new season of international competition. The Olympic ice dancer and his partner, Lilah Fear, have dominated the European circuit over the last couple of years.
This weekend, the duo is back in action at the Nebelhorn Trophy, which is being held in Oberstdorf, Germany.
Gibson seems pumped to get back out there.
“Oberstdorf ready! First challenger series of the season,” he posted on Instagram, complete with the requisite emojis.
Gibson and Fear enjoyed a breakthrough 2022-23 season, capturing silver at the European Championships. The out gay Scottish dancer and his partner produced the best finish for a British team since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won gold in 1994.
Performing to a medley of Lady Gaga hits, Gibson and Fear’s high-tempo routine wow’d the crowd and judges.
They started off with a classical version of “Bad Romance,” before accelerating their energy for their final number, with “Born This Way” blaring in the background.
“The crowd was electrifying and we fed off of that,” Gibson said in the post-skate presser. “It was so amazing when we got to perform with everybody behind us.”
Following their spectacular silver medal triumph, Gibson and Fear finished a career-best fourth at the World Championships in Japan, just 3.15 points behind the bronze medalists.
“We really wanted to show how much we can give in a competition,” said Gibson in a recent interview. “Not skate cautiously, because you’re not going to get the results you want for that. I think for us, going into Worlds, we wanted that, and we were able to achieve that, and it’s so exhilarating.”
Since breaking through at the 2022 World Championships, they’ve enjoyed four ISU Grand Prix podium finishes, two events wins in the ISU Challenger Series and four straight British national titles.
In addition, Gibson and Fears made their first Olympics in 2022, finishing 10th in rhythm dance and ninth in free dance.
“Team GB has had such a long legacy of ice dance in particular,” said Gibson afterwards, via Olympics.com. “We’re just so proud to carry that on and continue to carry it on as well.”
Rather than rest this offseason, Gibson and Fear participated in their first tour, Fantasy on Ice, an annual show in Japan.
“We are SO excited to be going to Japan for Fantasy on Ice,” they shared on Instagram. “It is our first tour and such an honour. We have amazing memories from our times in Japan and can’t wait to make many more!”
Speaking of sharing, Gibson came out publicly in early 2020, when he posted a Valentine’s Day photo with his then-boyfriend, now-husband, Joshua Walsh.
Gibson says the strength of other gay skaters, such as Adam Rippon and French gold medal winner Guillaume Cizeron, propelled him to finally live openly.
“I’ve seen so many people who have gone before me and just living their truth and being so authentic when they perform int heir sport an really just wanting that for myself as well,” Gibson told Outsports.
In particular, Gibson said watching Rippon perform during a Finlandia Trophy competition ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics was one of his turning points.
“There was such an energy, a charisma about him that you cannot stop watching him,” he said. “He just lights up the place. And I love that he’s owning everything he wants and who he is.”
Nowadays, Walsh is a mainstay on Gibson’s grid.
Like many athletes, Gibson feared coming out would negatively impact his career. But he couldn’t have been more wrong.
He’s experienced his greatest skating successes as an out gay man.
“I just think, could this be a detriment to my skating?,” he said. “And I thought, ‘I can’t live never sharing who I am and sharing who I love.’ And I’m really glad, as time has progressed, I’m doing things like this and embracing this side of me more.”
This season, Gibson and Fear selected a mix of 80s rhythm dance music as their soundtrack, including the iconic “Sweet Dreams,” which they say conveys “sensuality and attack.”
“We wanted to create something that sort of felt felt cohesive for the program, so we landed on—I think this was our fifth concept—we landed on ‘Sweet Dreams,’ and we wanted to make that into one full program,” said Gibson. “We did a lot of editing with the tracks. There’s three different versions happening at once.”
With all of the recent success, Gibson’s and Fear’s dreams are surely only getting sweeter. Their ride begins again this weekend in Germany.
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Cute couple
dali
That performance in Oberstdorf, Germany, was fantastic! Welcome back, UK!
Fahd
Nice profile of a hardworking talented athlete. I wonder how long it will be before same sex skating pairs-couples become part of the competitions. Probably too many backward homophobic governments with too much power in the sport for that kind of change to occur soon.
scotty
Looking good, Lewis !