Torvill and Dean's brilliant Bolero firing figure skater Gibson to Olympic big time

Torvill and Dean kickstarted Scottish skater Lewis Gibson's searing rise from a humble footballing background in Prestwick to the Winter Olympic Games. Gibson, 27, and dance partner Lilah Fear, 22, were among the first Team GB athletes selected for the showpiece taking place in Beijing in under ten days' time, where they will compete in the ice dance event. Ad/> The Scot was a relative latecomer to the sport and admits watching the legendary British duo — who won a stunning gold medal dancing to Bolero at Sarajevo 1984 — on Dancing On Ice is what first set his skating fires burning.

Figure SkatingJapan's Mai Mihara wins second gold at Four Continents23/01/2022 AT 19:10 Gibson, whose journey to the Games has been fuelled by a £40,000 injection of funding to figure skating through UK Sport's Beijing Support Fund, said: «I started skating after watching the first season of Dancing on Ice, with the amazing Torvill and Dean. »I just thought it looked like fun. I always played football beforehand, so it was a very different sport to try.

«I went along to my local rink and I enjoyed it so much. Honestly, I just never stopped, never questioned stopping either. »To be here now and going to the Olympics that Torvill and Dean were so famous for competing in is insane.

«Of course growing up, you get called names. There's plenty of names but for me what was really great was when competitions and things would go well, you'd be in the school newspaper. »I was seen to be doing something competitive and doing it well, so that helped me.†In October last year, UK Sport announced a new investment stream for winter sports not currently in receipt of World Class Programme funding in order to lift their preparations for, and performances