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Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White
lead the rest of the ice dance field at NHK
Trophy by almost ten points.
Photo: AP/Koji Sasahara
Rostelecom Cup champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White widened their lead after the original dance at the NHK Trophy in Nagano, Japan. They are another program down toward winning their second Grand Prix event of the season and securing their spot in the Grand Prix Final.
Davis and White skated a strong original dance to Indian folk music, showcasing their incredible speed, intricate steps and lifts, and superb execution. They achieved a new season-leading and personal best original dance score with a 63.09, besting their previous two season-leading scores that they earned at Nebelhorn Trophy and Rostelecom Cup. With this effort, they have opened up an almost ten-point lead over the rest of the competition.
Having their own ten-point lead are European bronze medalists Sinead Kerr and John Kerr, who are currently sitting in second place, and should capture the first Grand Prix silver medal of their career. Their American country original dance was very well-skated, scoring a 56.53, the sixth highest OD score of the season, behind the three scores from Davis and White, and one each from Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto.
There was a switch in the bronze medal position after the original dance, as Canadian silver medalists Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier pulled up from fourth to third with their Flamenco dance. They switched places with 2007 World junior champions Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev, who lost ground and fell one spot to fourth after placing sixth in the original dance.
The remainder of the dance teams maintained their compulsory dance standings after their original dance efforts, with 11 points separating the teams third and ninth place. Americans Jane Summerset and Todd Gilles are currently in tenth.
DANCE (after the original dance)
1. Meryl Davis and Charlie White USA – 101.18
2. Sinead Kerr and John Kerr GBR – 91.57
3. Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier CAN – 81.38
4. Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev RUS – 79.23
5. Anna Zadorozhniuk and Sergei Verbillo UKR – 78.68
6. Xintong Huang and Xun Zheng CHN – 77.11
7. Cathy Reed and Chris Reed JPN – 74.94
8. Lucie Mysliveckova and Matej Novak CZE – 71.21
9. Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno CAN – 70.95
10. Jane Summerset and Todd Gilles USA – 63.39
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