Team GBR confirmed for historic home European Championships in Sheffield

British Ice Skating is proud to confirm the athletes selected to represent Great Britain at the ISU Figure Skating European Championships Sheffield 2026, taking place at Utilita Arena Sheffield from 13-18 January 2026.

Europe’s premier championships return to the UK - and to Sheffield - for the first time since 2012, in what promises to be a once-in-a-generation home event and one of the final major international competitions before the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. With British skaters coming off the back of their most successful European and World Championship campaigns in decades - including ice dance bronze for Fear & Gibson, a top-five pairs finish for Vaipan-Law & Digby, a top-ten result for Spours, a top-20 for Appleby and a 13th-place European finish for Bekker & Hernandez in Tallinn, plus a historic World bronze for Fear & Gibson in Boston - Team GBR will take to home ice with real momentum and medal ambitions.

Team GBR selections for European Championships 2026

Ice Dance

• Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson

• Phebe Bekker & James Hernandez

  
  

Pairs

• Anastasia Vaipan-Law & Luke Digby

  
  

Women’s Singles

• Kristen Spours

• Nina Povey

  
  

Men’s Singles

• Edward Appleby

  
  

Ice Dance: World medallists lead the way

World bronze medallists and eight-time British champions Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson headline the team and will arrive in Sheffield as genuine podium contenders. In 2025 they made history in Boston, winning Britain’s first World Championship medal in ice dance since the days of Torvill & Dean, confirming their status as one of the world’s leading teams.

At the 2025 European Championships in Tallinn, Fear and Gibson added another chapter to that story with a bronze medal - their third consecutive European podium - after placing third in the rhythm dance and second in the free. Their charismatic, crowd-pleasing programs and consistency on the biggest stages mean a home European Championships in Sheffield is set to be an unforgettable moment for both the team and the British crowd.

Joining them are Phebe Bekker & James Hernandez, who have rapidly established themselves as one of the most exciting young dance teams in Europe. In Tallinn they underlined Britain’s depth in the discipline with a confident 13th-place finish at their second European Championships, before going on to place 17th at the 2025 World Championships. They have carried that momentum into the 2025-26 Olympic season with a packed calendar, including their senior Grand Prix debut - highlighted by eighth place at Skate America, silver at Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur and a strong showing at Finlandia Trophy. Sheffield offers the chance to step even closer to the continent’s top group on home ice.

Pairs: History-makers Vaipan-Law & Digby

In Pairs, Anastasia Vaipan-Law & Luke Digby return to Europeans on the back of a breakthrough 18 months that have transformed British pair skating.

At the 2025 European Championships in Tallinn, they delivered a personal-best performance to finish fifth overall, marking the highest placement for a British pair team at Europeans in more than three decades and securing a valuable second pairs spot for Sheffield 2026. They backed that up later in the year with a superb free skate at Skate Canada International 2025, where a personal-best free program score placed them fourth in the segment and underlined their growing reputation on the Grand Prix circuit.

After defending their national title at the 2025 British Figure Skating Championships, Vaipan-Law and Digby will come into Sheffield aiming to build on that top-five European result - this time in front of a home crowd.

Women’s Singles: Spours and Povey capitalise on new opportunity

The British women will field a full two-skater team at a home Europeans thanks to the performances of Kristen Spours last season.

Making her European debut in Tallinn, Spours delivered two confident programs to finish ninth overall, the best result by a British woman at Europeans since 2009. That top-10 finish secured two women’s places for Sheffield 2026 and signalled her arrival as a contender on the continental stage. Just weeks later, she made the free skate at the 2025 World Championships in Boston for the first time, earning an Olympic quota place for Team GBR before adding further international medals across the spring season.

A multiple international medallist and now a back-to-back British champion after defending her title at the 2025 Briti

sh Championships, Spours heads into a home Europeans with both experience and upward momentum behind her.

Alongside her, Nina Povey brings depth, consistency and a wealth of international experience. Silver medallist at the 2025 British Championships behind Spours, she continued her strong form across the season with another international podium - bronze at the 2025 Black Sea Cup - and solid showings on the Challenger circuit. Already a European and World Championship competitor, Povey now returns to the continental stage with a full season of senior championship experience and the resilience needed to thrive in a high-pressure home event.

Together, Spours and Povey embody both the new chapter and the enduring strength of British women’s skating as they line up in Sheffield.

Men’s Singles: Appleby returns to Europeans with free skate pedigree

In Men’s Singles, Edward Appleby returns to the European Championships after a season that underlined his status as the standard-bearer for British men.

A three-time British national champion, Appleby followed his successful Challenger Series campaign last season with a strong performance at the 2025 European Championships in Tallinn, where he qualified for the free skate at a senior ISU Championship for the first time and finished inside the top 20. That result - along with another British title and further international outings - showed his growing consistency and competitiveness in one of the deepest fields in figure skating.

Still only in the early years of his senior career, Appleby will now have the chance to bring that experience home, aiming to climb further up the European rankings in front of friends, family and fans in Sheffield.

A landmark home Europeans

The ISU Figure Skating European Championships Sheffield 2026 mark the first time in over a decade that a major ISU figure skating championship has been staged in the UK, and the first European Championships in Sheffield since 2012. As one of the final major events before Milan-Cortina 2026, Sheffield will be a crucial dress rehearsal for Europe’s top skaters - and a unique chance for British fans to see Olympic and World medallists, as well as homegrown stars, all in one arena.

From world-class ice dance to trailblazing pairs, a strengthened women’s field and an ambitious men’s champion, this Team GBR line-up reflects the depth and progress of British figure skating across all disciplines.

Performance perspective

Speaking about the selections, Jon Eley, British Ice Skating Performance Director, said:

We are delighted to have such a strong team for these special championships, who are ready to take advantage of performing on home ice in front of our fans. What an atmosphere it will be and our team are excited to deliver for the home crowd.

Reserves

The following skaters have been named as reserves for the ISU Figure Skating European Championships Sheffield 2026:

• Men’s Singles - Lucas Fitterer

• Ice Dance - Sophia Bushell & Antonio Peña

  
  

Be there: secure your tickets today!

A home Europeans is a truly rare opportunity - and Sheffield 2026 promises six days of world-class skating, unforgettable moments and a wall of noise for Team GBR.

Tickets for the ISU Figure Skating European Championships Sheffield 2026 are on sale now.

Visit europeans2026.com to secure your seats and join us at Utilita Arena Sheffield to cheer on Lilah & Lewis, Phebe & James, Anastasia & Luke, Kristen, Nina and Edward on home ice.