Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Retired 2004 Began skating 1986 | Name Neil Wilson Role Figure skater | |
Born 26 June 1978 (age 45) ( 1978-06-26 ) Belfast, Northern Ireland Former coach Joanne McLeod, Kevin Bursey, Philip and Sue Walsh Former skating club Centrum Elite, Arestwick | ||
Former choreographer Joanne McLeod Country represented United Kingdom Former training locations Vancouver, Ayr | ||
Neil Wilson (born 26 June 1978) is a British former competitive figure skater. He is a three-time British national champion in men's singles (1997, 2000, and 2003) and reached the free skate at nine ISU Championships – two World Championships, four European Championships, and three World Junior Championships.
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Career
Wilson began skating at age eight after a rink opened near his home. He competed at three World Junior Championships, achieving his best result, sixth, in 1997 in Seoul, South Korea. He also competed at four World Championships — best result: 20th at the 1996 Worlds in Edmonton, Alberta — and four European Championships, obtaining his best result, 13th, at the 1999 Europeans in Prague, Czech Republic. Wilson defeated Steven Cousins to win the 1997 British Championships, held in November 1996. He would go on to win two more senior national titles.
In 1997, Wilson entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the most rotations in an upright spin — he performed a forward scratch spin with 60 uninterrupted rotations. His coaches included Philip and Sue Walsh and then Kevin Bursey in Ayr, Scotland. In June 2001, he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where his coach became Joanne McLeod.
Wilson retired from competition after the 2004 World Championships in Dortmund. He became a figure skating coach and choreographer at the BC Center of Excellence in Burnaby, British Columbia. He has worked with Kevin Reynolds, Jeremy Ten, and Kelsey Wong.
Competitive highlights
GP: Champions Series/Grand Prix