Anastasia Vaipan-Law and Luke Digby are on the cusp of realising their dream of competing in the Olympics, and they’re vowing to do all they can to make the most of what could be a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity.
The Dundee figure skating pair are fresh from a standout season which included their fourth British title in a row and a fifth-place finish at the European Championships in Tallinn, which was GBs best pairs finish in that event for over 30 years. The best was yet to come as their 12th place and best-ever World Championships display in Boston qualified them for a place on Team GB at Milan Cortina Winter Olympics next year, with final selections set to take place in December after the British Championships.
In the fifth year of their partnership, the pair’s performances are going from strength to strength as they get set for a season which could include their Olympic debut.
Anastasia said: “That moment we found out we’d done enough to qualify was a dream come true. It’s something we’ve worked so hard for throughout our entire partnership. My parents both skated at a very high level, seeing them when I was young always inspired me.
"From starting my skating journey at seven years old, my dream was always to compete in the Olympics. We’re about 18 years into that journey and it feels incredible to be so close to that.”
Luke added: “At the Worlds we felt like we’d done enough, we knew we’d skated to the best of our ability. But we still had to wait a week to find out we’d done enough for the Olympic standard.
“It’s been our dream from when we both started our solo careers, especially from when we started our partnership, the main aim was to compete in the Olympics. It’s been building up to this point and now you can allow the excitement to start building.”
Stepping onto the ice at the Milano Ice Skating Arena to represent Team GB in February would be the culmination of years of hard work. Currently in their pre-season with competitions not starting until September, there’s no let-up in their preparation however, under the guidance of coach Simon Briggs and sportscotland institute of sport staff who provide a range of support including physical preparation, nutrition, medical and physio.
With the majority of their training taking place between Dundee Ice Arena and Regional Performance Centre Dundee, they are leaving no stone unturned to make sure they’re ready for the biggest season of their careers, with plans for their Olympic programme starting as much as a year in advance.
Luke explained: “We started getting some ideas together towards the end of last season. We started looking at music and a few ideas to start getting a plan together. Then once the World Championships were finished in March it was pretty much straight into that programme. We’ll be working on it throughout the pre-season until we start competing in September.
Anastasia added: “To have the facilities we have in Dundee is something we don’t take for granted, we couldn’t ask for anything more. The support system we have around us is fantastic. Our coaches have been there from the start and they’ve helped push us to where we are now.
The sportscotland institute of sport staff who form part of the Luke and Anastasia’s support group include Luke Birmingham (Senior Physical Preparation Coach), Dr Angela Duncan (Sports Doctor), Emma Dyce (Physio), Lynne Falconer (Physio) and Ailis Robertson (Nutrition). They work closely as a group and in conjunction with the coaching team to ensure Anastasia and Luke are able to perform at their best, reduce the risk of injury and recover as well as possible when injuries and illnesses occur.
In a highly technical sport like figure skating, practice on the ice is paramount. But long hours in the gym are also essential.
Anastasia explained: “The support that sportscotland gives us is massive. The strength and conditioning side of our sport is so important. To have access to the gym at RPC Dundee, the physio and other expertise they provide to us day in and day out, it’s crucial for us to be able to achieve what we want to achieve.
"Having that all in Dundee is something we’re so grateful for and we definitely wouldn’t be where we are without them.”
Luke added: “As a pairs team there’s lots of explosive movements, lots of lifts. So we need to do a lot of gym work to build that strength and we do flexibility training which is very important, there’s a lot of different elements that go into helping us on the ice and the sportscotland team are across it all."
