British pair finish seventh after stumble in free dance
Gold goes to France’s Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron
Lewis Gibson did his best to smile, but the pained pinch on Lilah Fear’s face gave the game away. The Team GB pair had spent years dreaming of becoming the first British Olympic skating medallists since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. But when it really mattered they suffered a nightmare on ice.
Gold went to the French couple Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron with 225.82 points, with the US team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the reigning three-time reigning world champions, having to settle for silver on 224.39 points. The Canadian pair of Paul Poirier and Piper Gilles claimed bronze with 217.73.
Long behind them were Fear and Gibson in seventh. In truth, their night was over before it had really begun. No sooner had the crowd started to boisterously clap to the Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), than Fear stumbled and lost her balance through the twizzle sequence. One yellow box, a signal of a technical error, quickly became two.
