Fear and Gibson deliver ‘demanding programme’ as bid for medal begins
Video credit: TNT Sports
Canada’s Piper Gilles was on hand with a remarkable show of on-her-feet thinking to save a point deduction following a wardrobe malfunction in her rhythm ice dance routine with Paul Poirier.Gilles and Poirier secured third place in Monday’s qualifiers at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with a score of 86.18 as they delivered a crowd-pleasing routine inspired by drag icon RuPaul.
Team GB duo Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson finished narrowly behind with a score of 85.47, a score that would have placed them inside the top three had Gilles not come up clutch with a display of quick thinking.
As Gilles and Poirier approached the end of their near-flawless routine, they showcased one of their most complex tricks, with Gilles lifted and spun at high speed.
During the move the cuff from Poirier’s left wrist was removed in the action and was caught to the leg of Gilles as she continued to spin through the air.
Canada’s Piper Gilles and Canada’s Paul Poirier compete in the figure skating team event ice dance-rhythm dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic
Image credit: Getty Images
When placed back down on the ice, the cuff was still attached to the leg of Gilles – but appeared to be hanging by the thinnest of threads.
Thinking on her feet, Gilles acted quickly to reach to the back of her leg, and complete the routine with the cuff in her hand. That nobody seemed to notice in the moment spoke to the seamless manner in which she styled it out.
International Skating Union (ISU) regulations stipulate that should a part of an outfit/costume fall onto the ice a point will be deducted from their overall score.
Gilles ensured that would not be the case for her and Poirier, an outcome which would have seen them drop into fourth, behind Fear and Gibson.
Competing at Milano Cortina 2026 represents an inspirational feat for Gilles who, in 2023, said that she had been treated for stage one ovarian cancer. She is a four-time medallist at the World Championships and, alongside Poirier, represents a strong medal hope for Canada.
The French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron took first place in Monday’s qualifiers with a score of 90.18, while Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates were narrowly behind in second with 89.72.
Gilles and Poirier made up the provisional podium, while another strong showing from British duo Fear and Gibson gave hope of a potential medal in Wednesday’s free dance final.
Once again honouring the Spice Girls with a medley of their big hits, they will be one of two Team GB teams in the final, with Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez also progressing after finishing 16th.
Fear told TNT Sports: “I just wanted to nail it and do us proud and do exactly what we wanted and I felt like we did.
“From the moment I stuck my toe pick in the first position I was like, ‘We mean business, let’s go’ and I just wanted to attack and enjoy and entertain.”
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
