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Sochi Winter Olympic 2014
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Meryl Davis and Charlie White again raised the bar as Sunday's spectacular display to a medley of songs from 'My Fair Lady' put them in sight of becoming the first Americans to win the Olympic ice dance title.
The pair have made a habit of breaking their own world record scores each time they skate and so it proved once more as they beat Canadian training partners and Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir with 78.89 points.
It was a performance that left the fans cheering and stamping their feet in approval and if Professor Higgins had been in the crowd he would probably have exclaimed: 'By George, you really did it, you did it, you did it!'
"They were flying," gushed Russian Marina Zoueva who coaches both North American rivals. "It was a strong performance but also so light and so flowing and very, very natural ... it was a really, really great dance."
A beaming Davis added: "I told Charlie that ... I felt like I was in a dream. It is was so surreal."
The twice world champions are now only one routine away from becoming only the fourth non-Russian couple to win the Olympic ice dance title.
"It felt awesome. When we were going out, we said, 'Let's do it for each other'," said White. "We're letting it flow."
The pair certainly did that as their foxtrot-quickstep number would not have looked out of place on any dance floor, let alone the ice rink.
Davis's sparkling pink dress and White's black suit tails were a picture as they whizzed across the ice effortlessly, showing off intricate step sequences and perfectly synchronized twizzles.
When they finished off their final rotational lift, with Davis doing the splits on a spinning White's shoulders, they had Zoueva clapping and leaping for joy before the final music notes had died out.
Virtue and Moir also left Zoueva a happy coach but when their scores came up, it seemed as if the judges did not quite agree.
GETTING SMOKED
A week after what Moir described as getting "smoked" by their rivals in the team competition, when they were blown away by nearly 10 points, the Canadians produced a far more polished showing to earn 76.33.
The side-by-side twizzles that had gone so spectacularly out of sync eight days ago were spot on and the pair finished their jazz-infused display to a medley of songs by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong with a flourish - Virtue lying on her back across a spinning Moir's shoulders.
They looked overjoyed with their routine, an excited Moir wrapping his arms around Virtue and lifting her off the ice as soon as they completed their final pose.
But their hopes of ending Davis and White's 22-month unbeaten streak took a knock when the scores flashed up to show that one of their elements had been downgraded.
"We certainly felt more like ourselves out there tonight. We created the moment we wanted to create. I don't think we could have done it much better than we did tonight," said Virtue.
"It was bang on how we wanted to skate."
Moir pulled off his braces and said: "That was fun. I think you could tell by our reaction that we were really excited about that skate."
However, after watching their American rivals earn a higher mark an hour later, they may struggle to overcome the 2.56-point cushion Davis and White will carry into Monday's free dance.
"It is do-able," said Moir sighing deeply. "But we know with the team we are sitting beside that they are going to bring a great skate tomorrow and we train with them every day so it is a task but we think we are up to it.
"We want it bad, we want that gold medal."
The intense rivalry between the North American couples - who have won every competition they have featured in since the 2010 Vancouver Games with each landing two world titles - means the event will be a two-horse race for the top prize.
It leaves the other medal contenders to battle it out for bronze and on Sunday Russians Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov gave the home fans plenty to cheer when they finished third with 73.04.
They have already picked up gold in the team competition but Ilinykh said "that medal didn't satisfy us" so they will now be eager to hold off a chasing pack that includes France's Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat plus fellow Russians Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev.
The pair have made a habit of breaking their own world record scores each time they skate and so it proved once more as they beat Canadian training partners and Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir with 78.89 points.
It was a performance that left the fans cheering and stamping their feet in approval and if Professor Higgins had been in the crowd he would probably have exclaimed: 'By George, you really did it, you did it, you did it!'
"They were flying," gushed Russian Marina Zoueva who coaches both North American rivals. "It was a strong performance but also so light and so flowing and very, very natural ... it was a really, really great dance."
A beaming Davis added: "I told Charlie that ... I felt like I was in a dream. It is was so surreal."
The twice world champions are now only one routine away from becoming only the fourth non-Russian couple to win the Olympic ice dance title.
"It felt awesome. When we were going out, we said, 'Let's do it for each other'," said White. "We're letting it flow."
The pair certainly did that as their foxtrot-quickstep number would not have looked out of place on any dance floor, let alone the ice rink.
Davis's sparkling pink dress and White's black suit tails were a picture as they whizzed across the ice effortlessly, showing off intricate step sequences and perfectly synchronized twizzles.
When they finished off their final rotational lift, with Davis doing the splits on a spinning White's shoulders, they had Zoueva clapping and leaping for joy before the final music notes had died out.
Virtue and Moir also left Zoueva a happy coach but when their scores came up, it seemed as if the judges did not quite agree.
GETTING SMOKED
A week after what Moir described as getting "smoked" by their rivals in the team competition, when they were blown away by nearly 10 points, the Canadians produced a far more polished showing to earn 76.33.
The side-by-side twizzles that had gone so spectacularly out of sync eight days ago were spot on and the pair finished their jazz-infused display to a medley of songs by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong with a flourish - Virtue lying on her back across a spinning Moir's shoulders.
They looked overjoyed with their routine, an excited Moir wrapping his arms around Virtue and lifting her off the ice as soon as they completed their final pose.
But their hopes of ending Davis and White's 22-month unbeaten streak took a knock when the scores flashed up to show that one of their elements had been downgraded.
"We certainly felt more like ourselves out there tonight. We created the moment we wanted to create. I don't think we could have done it much better than we did tonight," said Virtue.
"It was bang on how we wanted to skate."
Moir pulled off his braces and said: "That was fun. I think you could tell by our reaction that we were really excited about that skate."
However, after watching their American rivals earn a higher mark an hour later, they may struggle to overcome the 2.56-point cushion Davis and White will carry into Monday's free dance.
"It is do-able," said Moir sighing deeply. "But we know with the team we are sitting beside that they are going to bring a great skate tomorrow and we train with them every day so it is a task but we think we are up to it.
"We want it bad, we want that gold medal."
The intense rivalry between the North American couples - who have won every competition they have featured in since the 2010 Vancouver Games with each landing two world titles - means the event will be a two-horse race for the top prize.
It leaves the other medal contenders to battle it out for bronze and on Sunday Russians Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov gave the home fans plenty to cheer when they finished third with 73.04.
They have already picked up gold in the team competition but Ilinykh said "that medal didn't satisfy us" so they will now be eager to hold off a chasing pack that includes France's Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat plus fellow Russians Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev.
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Davis-White leads after short dance
SOCHI, Russia -- Charlie White threw his arms in the air in celebration to try to describe how he'd felt Sunday morning.
After four years, the moment had finally arrived for White and Meryl Davis, seeking to win the United States' first Olympic gold medal in ice dancing.
"I definitely woke up today ready," Davis said. "And yes, it's great to wake up with a smile on your face."
They were grinning even more broadly after their short dance, when they set an international personal best with 78.89 points to lead training partners Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada by 2.56.
Meryl Davis and Charlie White could become the first Americans to win gold in ice dancing.
Davis and White won silver at the 2010 Games when Virtue and Moir became the first Olympic ice dance champions from North America. The free dance is Monday, and Davis and White, both from Michigan, are one performance away from gold.
"I told Charlie in the middle of the program I felt like I was in a dream," Davis said. "It is such a surreal experience."
Virtue and Moir rebounded from a shaky performance in the team event, but the Americans, skating last, have overtaken their rivals over the last four years, and it was no different Sunday.
A Russian team was in third, though it wasn't world bronze medalists Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev. Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov were 3.29 points behind Virtue and Moir.
France's Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat were fourth, just 0.26 out of the bronze position, with Bobrova and Soloviev fifth.
Davis and White will again skate last Monday.
Their twizzles are at another speed from the rest of the field, and yet they spin across the ice in perfect unison. Skating to "My Fair Lady," they gaze at each other and into the crowd with an exuberant bliss.
"They fly," said their coach, Marina Zoueva, who also works with Virtue and Moir. "And you can see at the same time where they are strong. And they are so light at the same time and so flowing."
With White's tuxedo and tails and Davis' gauzy pink dress, they were decked out for a coronation.
"They really did the best this program can be done, with joy," Zoueva said. "Total joy."
When it was over, they held their embrace for a few extra seconds.
"We kept in the moment and neither of us was pushing it," White said. "We were out there enjoying each other's company. This was special for us."
The other American teams, Madison Chock and Evan Bates and siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani, were eighth and ninth.
Virtue had a bobble on a twizzle during the team short dance, but on Sunday, she and Moir looked much more like the couple that charmed the home crowd in Vancouver four years ago. Their footwork again crisp, they seemed to bounce over the ice as they performed to jazz standards from Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.
In his black bowtie and suspenders, Moir, ever the showman, smiled coyly from start to finish, eyebrow arched. Virtue's face beamed brighter than the sparkles on her flapper-style dress.
With the two still posed cheek to cheek just like the lyrics to the final song in their medley, Moir shouted out "Yes!" and pumped a fist. He whirled across the ice in celebration, then lifted Virtue into the air, burying his face in her shoulder.
"That was more like it," Moir said afterward.
The week between their programs seemed to drag on forever -- Moir called the waiting miserable.
"I just wanted my chance to be on the stage and do that," he said.
So when the music ended, he let out all that tension, though Virtue teased him: "You left me."
"I didn't get the memo on that," she joked later of his extra little dance.
"I get a little emotional after we skate like that," he explained.
Both couples have been together since they were little kids, and each talked about wanting to revel in the moment of these Olympics. That was accomplished Sunday.
"We've been together 17 years and that plays a huge part in just how comfortable you are on the ice in big moments," White said. "We have been through so much together in competitions and in life. It's just having that consistency in our training and our approach, and when it comes to big competitions, being a little bit nervous. You want to be able to count on that."
SOCHI, Russia -- Charlie White threw his arms in the air in celebration to try to describe how he'd felt Sunday morning.
After four years, the moment had finally arrived for White and Meryl Davis, seeking to win the United States' first Olympic gold medal in ice dancing.
"I definitely woke up today ready," Davis said. "And yes, it's great to wake up with a smile on your face."
They were grinning even more broadly after their short dance, when they set an international personal best with 78.89 points to lead training partners Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada by 2.56.
Meryl Davis and Charlie White could become the first Americans to win gold in ice dancing.
Davis and White won silver at the 2010 Games when Virtue and Moir became the first Olympic ice dance champions from North America. The free dance is Monday, and Davis and White, both from Michigan, are one performance away from gold.
"I told Charlie in the middle of the program I felt like I was in a dream," Davis said. "It is such a surreal experience."
Virtue and Moir rebounded from a shaky performance in the team event, but the Americans, skating last, have overtaken their rivals over the last four years, and it was no different Sunday.
A Russian team was in third, though it wasn't world bronze medalists Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev. Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov were 3.29 points behind Virtue and Moir.
France's Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat were fourth, just 0.26 out of the bronze position, with Bobrova and Soloviev fifth.
Davis and White will again skate last Monday.
Their twizzles are at another speed from the rest of the field, and yet they spin across the ice in perfect unison. Skating to "My Fair Lady," they gaze at each other and into the crowd with an exuberant bliss.
"They fly," said their coach, Marina Zoueva, who also works with Virtue and Moir. "And you can see at the same time where they are strong. And they are so light at the same time and so flowing."
With White's tuxedo and tails and Davis' gauzy pink dress, they were decked out for a coronation.
"They really did the best this program can be done, with joy," Zoueva said. "Total joy."
When it was over, they held their embrace for a few extra seconds.
"We kept in the moment and neither of us was pushing it," White said. "We were out there enjoying each other's company. This was special for us."
The other American teams, Madison Chock and Evan Bates and siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani, were eighth and ninth.
Virtue had a bobble on a twizzle during the team short dance, but on Sunday, she and Moir looked much more like the couple that charmed the home crowd in Vancouver four years ago. Their footwork again crisp, they seemed to bounce over the ice as they performed to jazz standards from Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.
In his black bowtie and suspenders, Moir, ever the showman, smiled coyly from start to finish, eyebrow arched. Virtue's face beamed brighter than the sparkles on her flapper-style dress.
With the two still posed cheek to cheek just like the lyrics to the final song in their medley, Moir shouted out "Yes!" and pumped a fist. He whirled across the ice in celebration, then lifted Virtue into the air, burying his face in her shoulder.
"That was more like it," Moir said afterward.
The week between their programs seemed to drag on forever -- Moir called the waiting miserable.
"I just wanted my chance to be on the stage and do that," he said.
So when the music ended, he let out all that tension, though Virtue teased him: "You left me."
"I didn't get the memo on that," she joked later of his extra little dance.
"I get a little emotional after we skate like that," he explained.
Both couples have been together since they were little kids, and each talked about wanting to revel in the moment of these Olympics. That was accomplished Sunday.
"We've been together 17 years and that plays a huge part in just how comfortable you are on the ice in big moments," White said. "We have been through so much together in competitions and in life. It's just having that consistency in our training and our approach, and when it comes to big competitions, being a little bit nervous. You want to be able to count on that."
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Olympics 2014: Figure skating ice dance medal results
The final results:
U.S., Meryl Davis and Charlie White, 195.52 (gold)
Canada, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, 190.99 (silver)
Russia, Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov, 183.48 (bronze)
France, Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat, 177.22
Russia, Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev, 172.92
Italy, Anna Cappelli and Luca Lanotte, 169.50
Canada, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, 169.11
U.S. Madison Chock and Evan Bates, 164.64
U.S., Maia and Alex Shibutani (siblings), 155.17
Great Britain, Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland, 151.11
Germany, Nelli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi, 150.77
Azerbaijan, Julia Zlobina and Alexei Sitnikov, 148.63
Spain, Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz, 146.97
Italy, Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, 144.78
France, Pernelle Carron and Lloyd Jones, 142.87
Russia, Victoria Sinitsina and Ruslan Zhiganshin, 140.66
Lithuania, Isabella Tobias and Deividas Stagniunas, 139.00
Canada, Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam, 138.70
Germany, Tanja Kolbe and Stefano Caruso, 130.56
Australia, Danielle O'Brien and Gregory Merriman, 128.53
The final results:
U.S., Meryl Davis and Charlie White, 195.52 (gold)
Canada, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, 190.99 (silver)
Russia, Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov, 183.48 (bronze)
France, Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat, 177.22
Russia, Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev, 172.92
Italy, Anna Cappelli and Luca Lanotte, 169.50
Canada, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, 169.11
U.S. Madison Chock and Evan Bates, 164.64
U.S., Maia and Alex Shibutani (siblings), 155.17
Great Britain, Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland, 151.11
Germany, Nelli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi, 150.77
Azerbaijan, Julia Zlobina and Alexei Sitnikov, 148.63
Spain, Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz, 146.97
Italy, Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, 144.78
France, Pernelle Carron and Lloyd Jones, 142.87
Russia, Victoria Sinitsina and Ruslan Zhiganshin, 140.66
Lithuania, Isabella Tobias and Deividas Stagniunas, 139.00
Canada, Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam, 138.70
Germany, Tanja Kolbe and Stefano Caruso, 130.56
Australia, Danielle O'Brien and Gregory Merriman, 128.53
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superb photo! Love the bokeh and the caught-in-mid-flight-against-the-mountain backdrop
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This handout image provided by Omega shows the photo finish between Emil Hegle Svendsen of Norway (R), who won the gold medal, and Martin Fourcade of France in the Men's 15 km Mass Start during day 11 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Laura Cross-country Ski & Biathlon Center on February 18, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
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Gold medalist South Korea celebrate on the podium during the flower ceremony for the Short Track Ladies' 3000m Relay at Iceberg Skating Palace on day 11 of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics on February 18, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
A volunteer resurfaces the rink during the Short Track Men's 500m Heat at Iceberg Skating Palace on day 11 of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics on February 18, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
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(L-R) Silver medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada, gold medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States, and bronze medalists Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Figure Skating Ice Dance celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony for the on day ten of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Medals Plaza on February 18, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
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Gold medalist Darya Domracheva of Belarus celebrates on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women's 12.5 km Mass Start on day ten of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Medals Plaza on February 18, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
Silver medalist Gabriela Soukalova of the Czech Republic celebrates on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women's 12.5 km Mass Start on day ten of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Medals Plaza on February 18, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
(L-R) Silver medalist Gabriela Soukalova of the Czech Republic, gold medalist Darya Domracheva of Belarus and bronze medalist Tiril Eckhoff of Norway celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Women's 12.5 km Mass Start on day ten of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Medals Plaza on February 18, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
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She arrived at these Olympics as Vanessa Mae, a classical violinist invited to dine with Vladimir Putin at the gala dinner on the eve of these Games.
On Tuesday, she finished them as Vanessa Vanakorn, the slowest skier at these Olympics.
With visibility far from perfect for the Ladies’ Giant Slalom, she skied the second - and final run - of her Olympic career with a gentle, carefully-plotted route between the flag poles denoting the course.
On Tuesday, she finished them as Vanessa Vanakorn, the slowest skier at these Olympics.
With visibility far from perfect for the Ladies’ Giant Slalom, she skied the second - and final run - of her Olympic career with a gentle, carefully-plotted route between the flag poles denoting the course.
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