A sultry performance that lasted four spellbinding minutes, but was 17 years in the making, propelled Meryl Davis and Charlie White to become the first Americans to win the Winter Olympics ice dance title at the Sochi Games on Monday.
In a showdown with rivals and Canadian training partners Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the US couple proved a cut above the rest by winning with a world-record total of 195.52 in the Russian city.
An adventure that began in 1997, when a nine-year-old Davis was left blushing and tongue-tied after being told to gaze deeply into her eight-year-old partner’s eyes, ended on Monday with the duo exchanging looks of joy.
Photo: AFP
“We’re so excited, we’re kind of in shock a little. I’m not sure what we’re feeling,” a beaming Davis told reporters after improving on their silver medal from four years ago.
“To come away with a gold medal is amazing ... and 17 years of hard work was justified,” White added.
From the moment the Americans stepped on the ice, with Davis wearing a sequined purple halter neck dress and White in an embroidered velvet jacket, the crowd waited with bated breath to see which side of the International Boundary the gold medal would end up in.
Photo: EPA
The Americans were soon showing why they have been unbeatable for 22 months, flying around the ice at a frantic pace, seamlessly weaving dazzling lifts and synchronized twizzles into their dramatic performance of Scheherazade — the story of a sultan’s wife whose enchanting tales stopped her husband’s bizarre habit of marrying a new wife each day and beheading the previous one.
When White held Davis aloft in the splits as he spun around rapidly, the crowd cheered, and when he stood with one blade on her right thigh with her other leg wrapped around his shoulder, they roared.
When White ended the performance on bended knees, he was shattered, and struggled to put one boot in front of the other as the couple skated off the rink. Yet when their scores flashed up to confirm them as only the fourth non-Russian couple to scoop the gold, there were hugs all around.
A journey that has led the US pair to two world championships, five consecutive grand prix finals and a record six successive US National titles, has ended with the biggest prize of all.
They finished off with a flourish, earning world-record scores in each segment of the competition, following up their 78.89 in the short with 116.63 in the long program.
“Gold is something that you dream about. It has been an amazing journey,” a dazed White said.
Virtue and Moir had hoped to join Russians Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov as the only couples to have won back-to-back Olympic ice dance golds, but had to settle for silver with 190.99.
The Canadian duo, who charmed the world four years ago on home ice in Vancouver, were delighted with their classical interpretation of Petit Adagio, Waltz in Concerto No. 2.
They ended their stirring program with their palms pressed to their hearts, but despite earning a season-best score of 114.66 for the free dance, they could not topple the Americans.
“That was our best performance of the year for that program. It’s our baby and it’s special for us to perform it for the last time,” Moir said.
However, once the scores of the Americans, who skated last, flashed up, Moir could only shrug in disappointment.
With both couples hinting that the Olympics will be their swansong, they played out the final chapter of an intense rivalry that dates back more than a decade.
During that time they have shared training bases, a coach in Marina Zoueva and a medal haul that includes two world championships each and an Olympic gold.
The decision of Russia’s Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov to persevere with their on-off-on partnership paid dividends as their dance to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake won them bronze with a total of 183.48.
That result meant couples from Russia or the Soviet Union have finished on the ice dance podium at every Olympics since 1976.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care