LAST-DANCE SALOON

Brits insist medal showdown holds no fears after setback

- FROM JAMES TONEY in Milan

LILAH FEAR and Lewis Gibson will need the skate of their lives to claim an Olympic bronze - and then hope others falter.

The pair - world bronze medallists last year - are Britain's strongest figure skating medal hope since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean earned bronze in 1994.

But despite the polished smiles, the disappointment was impossible to hide after Monday's rhythm dance.

Their score left them fourth heading into tonight's decisive free skate — a familiar position for Team GB at these Games, with snowboarding, freestyle skiing and curling all suffering near misses.

Figure skating is as much about reputation as execution.