Anastasia Vaipan-Law and Luke Digby are ready to show that there is more to figure skating than ice dance.
When it comes to figure skating in Britain, the orchestral masterpiece of Maurice Revel's 'Bolero' is often the first thing that springs to mind, with Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean's gold at Sarajevo 1984 going down in history as one of Team GB's most iconic sporting moments.
Since then, ice dance has become synonymous with Great Britain's skating talent, as Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson have continued to push the boundaries of the event.
But just because two figure skaters perform together doesn't mean that they are ice dancers.
Vaipan-Law and Digby have been announced as Team GB's pairs skaters for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and have cited their intentions to highlight just how there is another side to skating on ice.
"They are completely different disciplines with completely different objectives and so they may seem similar but the elements that we are doing in the routines are not," said Digby.
"The common thing is people thinking that we do what Torvill and Dean did because they see two skaters on ice."
Pairs skating features a man and a woman performing together with elements that are more acrobatic than ice dance.
Duos perform overhead lifts, throw jumps, twist lifts, and death spirals; skills that require strength, precision, and trust, whilst also taking into account the music.
"Whenever someone thinks that we do ice dance and compare us to Torvill and Dean, I'm never offended because they are absolutely incredible," said Vaipan-Law. "It's just that we are actually completely different.
"It is hard to explain to people so we need to put our own stamp on it. I'm really looking forward to showing the British public the difference between the two because I think it's quite important.
"We are both very passionate about lifting the sport up within the UK. I want to put it on the map and inspire others."
Growing up, Vaipan-Law's mother and father both performed in Blackpool's famous ice show – the longest running of its kind in the world - and their daughter soon followed in their footsteps.
A knee injury in 2018 saw her switch from singles to pairs skating and she has since flourished alongside Digby, who first stepped foot on the skating rink aged six, inspired by an older sister who was obsessed with Dancing On Ice.
The pair achieved Britain’s best result at a European Championships for 35 years when they finished fifth in 2025 and have won five straight national titles.
"Our dynamic just worked off the bat, but I think we were both in a very good place as singles skaters and the height difference was very handy," said Vaipan-Law.
"There were just a lot of pieces of the puzzle which fit and from there, it clearly was the right decision to make and we've done really well since."
"The last season was pretty incredible," added Digby.
"I'm normally quite a realistic person and along with our coaching team we know roughly what we're expecting.
"To overachieve is the most fulfilled that I've had throughout my career. It might have been a little bit unexpected but we've shown the performances that were guaranteed to sort that."
The duo will take to the ice for Team GB at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, for both the pairs and team eventa on their Olympic debuts.
They will be the first pairs skaters for Great Britain since David King and Stacey Kemp competed in both events at Sochi 2014, and with the opportunity to show their event off to the world, it's a dream come true.
"It's a dream really," said Vaipan-Law. "It's been a lifelong dream [to go to the Olympics] since we were little and to finally be in kit is so exciting."
"It's been a lifelong dream and so to finally have that introduction is great fun. It really allows the excitement to build."
Sportsbeat 2025