Phebe Bekker (born 27 July 2005) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

ice dancer who represents

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. With her current skating partner, James Hernandez, she is a two-time ISU Junior Grand Prix silver medalist, a two-time British junior national champion (2021–2022), and finished in the top 10 at the 2022 World Junior Championships. Bekker/Hernandez are the first British ice dance team to win a medal on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit.

Personal life

Bekker was born on 27 July 2005 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. She is currently a high school student, and homeschools through

Wolsey Hall, Oxford Founded in 1894, Wolsey Hall Oxford is one of the longest established homeschooling colleges in the world offering courses in Primary, Secondary, IGCSE and A level subjects to homeschoolers in more than 120 countries. Based in Oxford, England, ...

Career

Early years

Bekker began learning how to skate at age eight by attending public skate sessions with a friend. She is a two-time (2018, 2019) British solo ice dance champion, and transitioned to partnered ice dance in 2019. She competed domestically with her first partner, Theodore Alexander, for the 2019–20 season before teaming up with her current partner, James Hernandez.

2021–22 season: International junior debut

Bekker/Hernandez made their international debut as a team on ISU Junior Grand Prix at the 2021 JGP Slovenia in late September. They were tenth in both segments of competition to place tenth overall. At their second assignment, the 2021 JGP Poland, Bekker/Hernandez placed eighth in the rhythm dance and seventh in the free dance to finish finally in eighth place. In November, Bekker/Hernandez won their first junior national title at the 2021 British Championships, leading silver medalists

Bushell Bushell is a surname of English origin. The name refers to: *Achieng Ajulu-Bushell (b. 1994), a British swimmer *Agnes Bushell (b. 1949) is an American fiction writer and teacher *Anthony Bushell (1904–1997), English film actor * Bill Bushell ( ...

/ Lapsky by nearly 30 points. Bekker said of the win, "After such a relatively short time together, we are delighted to win our first British title." Due to their placement at nationals, Bekker/Hernandez were named to the British team for the 2022 World Junior Championships in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

. Before Junior Worlds, Bekker/Hernandez were assigned to the

Egna Dance Trophy The Egna Spring Trophy, formerly the Gardena Spring Trophy (through 2016), is an annual international figure skating competition. It is held every spring in Val Gardena in Italy. Medals are awarded in men's and ladies' singles and sometimes in oth ...

where they finished seventh. Competing in Tallinn, Bekker/Hernandez were tenth in the rhythm dance and eleventh in the free dance to place tenth overall.

2022–23 season

Beginning the new season at

British Ice Skating British Ice Skating (formerly the National Ice Skating Association) is the national governing body of ice skating within the United Kingdom. Formed in 1879, it is responsible for overseeing all disciplines of ice skating: figure skating (single ...

's new Britannia Cup event, Bekker/Hernandez won gold. On the

Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...

, Bekker/Hernandez won the silver medal at the 2022 JGP Czech Republic. They won a second silver medal at the 2022 JGP Poland I, in the process becoming the first British dance team to qualify for a

Junior Grand Prix Final The ISU Junior Grand Prix Final or JGP Final (titled the ISU Junior Series Final in the 1997–98 season) is the culmination of a series of junior-level competitions – the ISU Junior Grand Prix organized by the International Skating Union. Medals ...

. Competing at the Final in

Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

, they finished second in the rhythm dance, aided by a double-fall by pre-event favourites Mrázková/ Mrázek. Hernandez commented on attending the event, saying it was "a really surreal moment, walking down the steps. We've never walked into an area with ambient lighting before. It felt very special." They were overtaken in the free dance by both Lim/ Quan of South Korea and Mrázková/Mrázek, finishing fourth overall.

Programs

With Hernandez

Competitive highlights

''JGP:

With Hernandez

Detailed results

ISU personal bests highlighted in bold.''

With Hernandez

Junior results

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bekker, Phebe 2005 births Living people British female ice dancers English female ice dancers People from Ashtead