The United States claimed its first-ever Olympic ice dancing gold medal Monday, as the pairing of Meryl Davis and Charlie White cruised to victory over the defending-champion Canadians.
A world-record score in Sunday’s short program pushed Davis and White past Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and into first place, and another flawless performance in Monday’s final skate secured them the gold with a final score of 195.52.
Virtue and Moir — who earned silver with a score of 190.99 — won gold in their home country at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, with Davis and White finishing second.
“I told Charlie in the middle of the program I felt like I was in a dream,” Davis said after Sunday’s skate. “It is such a surreal experience.”
Davis and White’s medal was just the fourth ever for the U.S. in ice dancing, which made its Olympic debut in 1976.
Russia’s Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov earned bronze with a final score of 183.48.
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