A TEENAGE ice dancing couple from Oxfordshire have taken another step closer to their Olympic dream with a first European title.

Leticia Marsh, 13, and Elliot Crook, 16, won gold for Great Britain in the Copenhagen Ice Dance Cup in Denmark.

The couple picked up a personal best in two of the three sections they took part in and secured victory with a final score of 54.10.

Leticia, from Marsh Baldon, and Elliott, from East Hagbourne, have only been dancing together since 2013 but train together for more than 12 hours a week.

And with the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea still three years away, the pair are daring to dream big.

Leticia, who attends Headington School, said: “I would really love to go to the Olympics at some point in my life and win more competitions internationally.

“At the event in Copenhagen I felt very patriotic representing Britain. I felt a real sense of pride.

“I thought that most of my hard work really paid off.”

The couple danced in two routines known as pattern dances, which consist of set routines, and a free dance that gave them the option to include some of their own flair.

They chose to perform the overture from My Fair Lady and danced in the style of characters from the musical.

Elliott, who has been skating since he was six, said: “We have been doing these dances for quite a while – about a year-and-a-half. We were very comfortable with them and with each other, so we were confident going into the competition.”

The King Alfred’s Academy, Wantage, student added: said: “We always try to keep pushing to see how far we can go. To keep going would be great.

“With a partner it is tricky because you have to be able to do everything with somebody else who has their own emotions and will be feeling different to you every day.

“I want to do it for the rest of my life and I can see Leticia wants to as well. We will just see how far we can get.

“I am doing my A-Levels at the moment and she has started GCSEs but ice dancing is what we love and we will not give up.”

had never been to Denmark before and said it was an exciting new experience.

He added: “When I started skating I fell in love with the speed and the flow and the fact that you are just in your own world.

“But it is very nice and very enjoyable because you feel you have got somewhere with someone.”

Leticia, who started skating when she lived in Singapore as a seven-year-old, said both she and Elliot were hooked on the thrill of skating.

She said: “When you get it right, it really feels right. You can feel the way it flows and it feels nice to get it right.”

And Elliott said he was determined the pair would continue to dance together and improve their skills.