USA ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White were the favorites coming into the Sochi Games. And they finished on top on Monday, winning America’s first ever gold medal in ice dancing, five points ahead of Canada, with a near-flawless performance of “Sheherazade.”
Their 116.63 points is the highest ever in the sport, and the pair from Michigan finished with 195.52 points (78.89 in short program). Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir had 191.02 (116.63 in the free skate) and Russians Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov earned the bronze. Davis and White, both of whom are Michigan students, were almost 12 points ahead of the Russians.
Davis and White share a lot with Virtue and Moor even though they are fierce rivals. Both are coached by the same Russian coach and train at the same rink in Michigan. The Canadians won the gold in Vancouver four years ago while Davis and White won the silver. That same year Virtue and Moor won the world championships and again in 2012. However, Davis and White won it in 2011, becoming the first USA pair to win the world championship, and in 2013.
USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished eighth and siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani placed ninth.
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