British Ice Skating appeal against points penalty that cost Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson bronze medal
British Ice Skating (BIS) have launched an appeal against the decision to dock skating duo Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson two points during their world championship routine which cost them a bronze medal in Prague.
Fear and Gibson looked to have secured bronze at the Figure Skating World Championships with their free dance routine only to be penalised for an “illegal element” by the judges.
The British pair instead finished fourth, behind America’s Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, and missed out on the podium by 0.22 of a point.
BIS called the deduction “incorrect”, and released a statement which reads: “We are formally challenging this decision and will be raising our concerns with the International Skating Union.
“We are also calling for a full and independent review of the officiating process to ensure accountability and fairness for all athletes.
“Lilah and Lewis have our full and unwavering support. Their achievements – this week and across their careers – remain outstanding, and they continue to be role models for the sport both in Great Britain and around the world.”
BIS added: “We believe this deduction was applied incorrectly and does not accurately reflect the performance delivered on the ice.
“As an organisation, British Ice Skating stands for fairness, clarity, and transparency in sport. In this instance, we do not believe those principles have been upheld.
“All athletes deserve to be judged with consistency, integrity, and transparency at the highest level of competition.”
The competition was won by Olympic champions Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry of France who took the gold medal with a total score of 230.81.
In doing so they became only the fourth pairing to win the Olympic, world and European titles in the same season.
Olympic champions Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry of France won gold with 230.81 points to become only the fourth pair to win Olympic, world and European titles in the same season.
Fear and Gibson, who ended on 208.98, also missed out on a medal at the Olympics last month because of a mistake in their free dance routine.
