Gibson and Fear survive twizzle slip

Mckay finishes 21st in ladies solo event

Ice dance duo Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear qualified for the free dance final at the World Figure Skating Championships in Japan despite a minor error which saw them fall short of their personal best score in the short programme.

Prestwick’s Gibson slipped during the twizzle section, which consists of a sequence of one foot turns, but was still pleased with the performance overall. He said: “We are really happy with our skate. Despite the mistake on my twizzle, we are pleased with the score. We’re looking forward to the free dance.”

Current European and World champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillome Cizeron, who train with Gibson and Fear under coach Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, are in first place.

Dundee’s Natasha Mckay finished 21st in the ladies’ solo competition, with a season’s best of 95.16 in her free skate and an overall score of 151.56.

She was first to skate in the finals stage of the event, which was won by Alina Zagitova from Russia with an overall score of 237.5.

Mckay said: “I was delighted to qualify for the free skate and to maintain my 21st place after the free skate was great. I have had a wonderful experience and gained valuable experience at these championships. Now I am looking forward to a small break and then preparing new programs and new elements for next season.”