Meryl Davis (born January 1, 1987)[1] is a former competitive American ice dancer. With partner Charlie White, she is the 2014 Olympic champion, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time (2011, 2013) World champion, five-time Grand Prix Final champion (2009–2013), three-time Four Continents champion (2009, 2011, 2013) and six-time U.S. national champion (2009–2014). They also won a bronze medal in the team event at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Davis and White teamed up in 1997 and they are currently the longest lasting dance team in the United States. They are the first American ice dancers to win the World title, as well as the first Americans to win the Olympic title. At the 2006 NHK Trophy, they became the first ice dancing team to earn level fours on all their elements.[2]
In 2014, Davis won the eighteenth season of Dancing with the Stars with partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Meryl Davis was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, and raised in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, the daughter of Cheryl and Paul D. Davis. She has one younger brother, Clayton.[3] She is of English, Irish, Scottish and German descent.[4] Her paternal grandmother was born in Regina, Saskatchewan.[5] Davis has difficulty seeing out of her right eye and lacks depth perception.[6] She was diagnosed with dyslexia in the third grade and she struggled with reading until the 11th grade.[7][6] In June 2005, Davis graduated from Wylie E. Groves High School.[8]
Davis previously lived in Birmingham, Michigan.[9] She attended the University of Michigan,[8] where she majored in cultural anthropology[10] and also studied Italian.[11][12] She was an active member of the sorority Delta Delta Delta and plays the flute.[11] Davis joined UNICEF Kid Power as a brand ambassador in March 2016.[13][14][15]
On July 13, 2017, Davis became engaged to former figure skater Fedor Andreev, whom she had been dating for over six years.[16][17] They married in Provence, France, in June 2019.[18]
Davis began skating at age five on a local lake in the winter.[19] Due to her vision problems, Davis often hugged the boards when she first started skating.[6] She started out as a single skater, but began doing ice dance at age eight.[19] She got as high as Midwestern sectionals in novice ladies before quitting singles to focus on ice dancing.[19]
She was teamed up with Charlie White by her coach, Seth Chafetz, in 1997. In 2009, Davis said: "Charlie and I grew up 10 minutes apart from each other. Our parents are best friends. We've grown together and know each other so well."[20]
In their first season together, Davis and White won the silver medal at the Junior Olympics in the Juvenile division. In 1999–00, they won gold at the Junior Olympics on the intermediate level.[21] In the 2000–01 season, they qualified for the 2001 U.S. Championships, placing 6th as Novices. In 2001–02, they won the silver medal as novices and then moved up to the junior level. In the 2002–03 season, they did not win a medal at either of their two Junior Grand Prix assignments and placed 7th at the 2003 U.S. Championships in their junior debut.
In the 2003–2004 season, Davis/White won their sectional championship and then won the junior silver medal at Nationals. This earned them a trip to the 2004 Junior Worlds, where they placed 13th.
In the 2004–2005 season, Davis/White won two bronze medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series. However, White broke his ankle before Sectionals and so Davis/White were unable to qualify for the 2005 U.S. Championships. Their season ended there.
In the 2005–2006 season, Davis/White medaled at both their Junior Grand Prix events and placed second at the Junior Grand Prix Final. They won the junior national title at the 2006 U.S. Championships and then won the bronze medal at the 2006 Junior Worlds. Following that season, Davis aged out of Juniors. They lost some training time after White broke his ankle at a hockey tournament in 2006.[12]
In the 2006–07 season, Davis/White made their debut both nationally and internationally as seniors. They placed 4th at both their 2006–07 ISU Grand Prix assignments. At the 2006 NHK Trophy, they became the first team to earn all level fours on their elements. At the 2007 U.S. Championships, they won the bronze medal at the senior level, qualifying them for the 2007 World Championships. They are the first team since Tanith Belbin / Benjamin Agosto to go directly from winning the Junior national title to making the World team.
Davis/White also qualified for the Four Continents Championships, which took place before Worlds, and placed fourth. At the World Championships, Davis/White placed 7th, the highest debut placement for American ice dancers at Worlds since 1980.[22]
Davis/White placed 4th at the 2007 Skate America and then went on to win their first Grand Prix medal at the 2007 Trophée Eric Bompard.
They completely revamped their Eleanor Rigby Eleanor's Dream free dance before the 2008 U.S. Championships due to its poor reception. They won the silver medal at the competition, one spot up from the previous season. They also won silver at 2008 Four Continents and were sixth at the 2008 World Championships.
In the 2008–2009 season, Davis/White won their first Grand Prix assignment, the 2008 Skate Canada. In their second assignment, the 2008 Cup of Russia, they placed third in the compulsory dance but were eighth in the original dance after White fell twice and stumbled on twizzles.[23] They recovered in the free dance, placing second in the segment and moving up to win the bronze medal, which together with the gold from Skate Canada was enough to qualify them for their first Grand Prix Final. At the 2008–2009 Grand Prix Final, they won the bronze medal.
Davis/White won gold at the 2009 National Championships, after reigning champions Belbin/Agosto withdrew due to injury. They won by a 20-point margin over silver medalists Emily Samuelson / Evan Bates. In February 2009, they won the ice dance title at the Four Continents Championships, placing second in both the compulsory and original dance behind training mates Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir but winning the free dance.[24] At the 2009 World Championships they placed 4th. Though they placed third in both the original and free dance portions, they lost too much ground in the compulsory to overcome training mates Virtue and Moir for the bronze. Only .04 points separated 3rd from 4th.
Davis/White competed at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy, finishing first in all the segments of the competition. Overall they won the gold medal with a score of 200.46 points, 30.87 ahead of silver medalists Alexandra Zaretsky / Roman Zaretsky.
Davis/White won the 2009 Rostelecom Cup and the 2009 NHK Trophy, which qualified them for the 2009–2010 Grand Prix Final. At the Grand Prix Final, they won the original dance and placed second in the free dance to win the title overall, becoming the first American ice dancers to do so. At the 2010 National Championships, Davis and White won their second national title.[25] They beat former training partners Belbin/Agosto, the first time they had ever done so, and led through all portions of the competition.
At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Davis/White placed second to Canada's Virtue/Moir, winning silver. They skated a personal best in the free skate portion of ice dancing, garnering a score of 107.19 and received a personal best total score of 215.74. They also won the silver medal at the 2010 World Championships.
Davis/White were undefeated in their 2010–2011 season.
For the 2010–11 ISU Grand Prix season, they were assigned to the 2010 NHK Trophy and to the 2010 Skate America. They won NHK with 66.97 points in the short dance and 98.24 in the free dance, for a total of 165.21 points. Following NHK, they decided to make some adjustments to their free dance.[26] At Skate America they earned 63.62 in the short dance and 93.06 points in the free dance after both fell, with their nearest rivals also having a fall.[27] They earned an overall total of 156.68 and the gold medal. Their results qualified them for the 2010–2011 Grand Prix Final where they successfully defended their title, scoring 68.64 in the short and 102.94 in the free for a total of 171.58 points. They won their 3rd consecutive national title at the U.S. Championships held at Greensboro, North Carolina. They earned 76.04 points for their short dance and 109.44 points for their free dance scoring a total of 185.48 points.
At the 2011 Four Continents Championships, Davis/White placed second to Virtue/Moir in the short dance. The Canadians later withdrew from the free dance. Davis/White went on to win the free dance and the title with a total of 172.03 points. At the 2011 World Championships, they placed second in the short dance by 0.53 points, with a score of 73.76 points. In the free dance, they placed first with a score of 111.51 points, the highest free dance score that season. Overall, they won the gold medal with a score of 185.27, beating reigning Olympic and World champions Virtue/Moir by 3.48 points. This was the United States' first ice dancing World title.
For the 2011–2012 season, Davis/White were assigned to two Grand Prix events—2011 Skate America and 2011 Cup of Russia—having declined a newly introduced option to compete in a third.[28] They announced their music selections in August, including La Strada for their free dance,[28] but in October announced a change to Die Fledermaus.[29] Davis and White won gold at Skate America, with 70.33 points in the short dance and 107.74 points in the free dance. They were 21.78 points ahead of 2nd place team Nathalie Péchalat / Fabian Bourzat. At 2011 Rostelecom Cup, the couple improved with a total score of 179.06, despite a small stumble in the short dance. They placed 17.88 points ahead of 2nd place team Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje. Their placements qualified them for the 2011–2012 Grand Prix Final, where they placed first. The two would later become silver medalists at the 2012 Four Continents Championships and 2012 World Championships. However, at the 2012 World Team Trophy, they edged Virtue/Moir by 5.6 points, and Team USA won the silver medal. Following Igor Shpilband's dismissal from the Arctic Edge Arena in June 2012, Davis/White decided to remain at the rink with Marina Zoueva and ended their collaboration with Shpilband.[30]
For the 2012–2013 season, Davis/White were assigned to compete at 2012 Skate America and the 2012 NHK Trophy, winning gold in both events.[31][32] In December, they set a record by becoming the first team to win four Grand Prix Final titles, when they came in first in both the short and free dances.[33] In January 2013, they won their fifth consecutive National title, tying for the U.S. ice dance record. They set U.S. scoring records in both the short and free dances. They continued their undefeated season winning the gold medal at the 2013 Four Continents, despite a small bobble that left them in second in the short dance portion.[34] They won the free dance ahead of Virtue/Moir. Then, at the World Championships in March, they again defeated Virtue/Moir to win their second world championship title, breaking their previous world records in both the short dance and combined total.[35]
Davis and White worked with Derek Hough and Alex Wong on their programs for 2013 and 2014.[36][37]
On February 5, 2014, the pair appeared among five other Olympians in a one-hour special on NBC television, How to Raise an Olympian. During the team event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Davis and White earned 20 points in two first-place finishes for the U.S. team, which was awarded bronze medal overall. Davis and White posted record scores in both the short program and free dance and were awarded the first Olympic gold medal for Americans in ice dancing.[38] They performed with Stars on Ice in 2014.[39]Davis and White continue to perform together in ice shows.[citation needed] On February 23, 2017, they confirmed that they would not return to competition.[40]
| Season | Exhibition |
|---|---|
| 2018–2019 [41] |
|
| 2017–2018 [42][43][44][45] |
|
| 2016–2017 [47][48][49][50][51] |
|
| 2015–2016 [52][53][54] |
|
| 2014–2015 [56][57] |
Sleeping Beauty:[56] |
| Season | Short dance | Free dance | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–2014 [58][59] |
| ||
| 2012–2013 [59][61] |
|
| |
| 2011–2012 [62] |
|
| |
| 2010–2011 [63] |
|
|
|
| Original dance | |||
| 2009–2010 [64][65] |
|
|
|
| 2008–2009 [66] |
|
|
|
| 2007–2008 [67] |
|
|
|
| 2006–2007 [68] |
|
|
|
| 2005–2006 [69] |
|
|
|
| 2004–2005 [70] |
|
|
|
| 2003–2004 [71] |
|
|
|
| 2002–2003 [70] |
(with White)
| Results[72][73] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | ||||||||
| Event | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 |
| Olympics | 2nd | 1st | ||||||
| Worlds | 7th | 6th | 4th | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | |
| Four Continents | 4th | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | ||
| Grand Prix Final | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||
| GP Bompard | 3rd | |||||||
| GP NHK Trophy | 4th | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||
| GP Rostelecom | 3rd | 1st | 1st | |||||
| GP Skate America | 4th | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||
| GP Skate Canada | 4th | 1st | ||||||
| Nebelhorn | 1st | |||||||
| U.S. Classic | 1st | |||||||
| National | ||||||||
| U.S. Champ. | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| Team events | ||||||||
| Olympics | 3rd T 1st P | |||||||
| World Team | 2nd T 1st P |
|||||||
| GP = Grand Prix T = Team result; P = Personal result; Medals awarded for team result only. | ||||||||
| Results[72][73] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International: Junior | |||||||||
| Event | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 |
| Junior Worlds | 13th | 3rd | |||||||
| JGP Final | 2nd | ||||||||
| JGP Andorra | 2nd | ||||||||
| JGP Bulgaria | 1st | ||||||||
| JGP Czech Rep. | 4th | ||||||||
| JGP Germany | 8th | ||||||||
| JGP Japan | 4th | ||||||||
| JGP Romania | 3rd | ||||||||
| JGP Serbia | 6th | 3rd | |||||||
| Helmut Cup | 1st N. | ||||||||
| National | |||||||||
| U.S. Champ. | 6th N. | 6th N. | 2nd N. | 7th J. | 2nd J. | 1st J. | |||
| U.S. Jr. Ch. | 2nd Jv. | 1st I. | |||||||
| Midwest. Sect. | 1st I. | 3rd N. | 2nd N. | 1st N. | 1st J. | ||||
| EGL Regionals | 1st Jv. | 1st I. | 3rd N. | ||||||
| Levels: Jv. = Juvenile; I. = Intermediate; N. = Novice; J. = Junior JGP = Junior Grand Prix; EGL = Eastern Great Lakes | |||||||||
(with White)
Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships — Worlds, Junior Worlds, and Four Continents.
| 2013–2014 season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | SD | FD | Total | |
| February 6–22, 2014 | 2014 Winter Olympics | 1 78.89 |
1 116.63 |
1 195.52 | |
| February 6–9, 2014 | 2014 Winter Olympics (team event) | 1 75.98 |
1 114.34 |
3 | |
| January 5–12, 2014 | 2014 U.S. Championships | 1 80.69 |
1 119.50 |
1 200.19 | |
| December 5–8, 2013 | 2013–14 Grand Prix Final | 1 77.66 |
1 113.69 |
1 191.35 | |
| November 8–10, 2013 | 2013 ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy | 1 73.70 |
1 112.95 |
1 186.65 | |
| October 18–20, 2013 | 2013 ISU Grand Prix Skate America | 1 75.70 |
1 112.53 |
1 188.23 | |
| September 11–15, 2013 | 2013 U.S International Classic | 1 73.67 |
1 110.02 |
1 183.69 | |
| 2012–2013 season | |||||
| Date | Event | SD | FD | Total | |
| March 11–17, 2013 | 2013 World Championships | 1 77.12 |
1 112.44 |
1 189.56 | |
| February 8–11, 2013 | 2013 Four Continents Championships | 2 74.68 |
1 112.68 |
1 187.36 | |
| January 19–27, 2013 | 2013 U.S. Championships | 1 79.02 |
1 118.42 |
1 197.44 | |
| December 6–9, 2012 | 2012–13 Grand Prix Final | 1 73.20 |
1 110.19 |
1 183.39 | |
| November 23–25, 2012 | 2012 ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy | 1 69.86 |
1 108.62 |
1 178.48 | |
| October 19–21, 2012 | 2012 ISU Grand Prix Skate America | 1 71.39 |
1 104.98 |
1 176.28 | |
| 2011–2012 season | |||||
| Date | Event | SD | FD | Total | |
| March 26 – April 1, 2012 | 2012 World Championships | 2 70.98 |
2 107.64 |
2 178.62 | |
| February 7–12, 2012 | 2012 Four Continents Championships | 1 72.15 |
2 107.25 |
2 179.40 | |
| January 22–29, 2012 | 2012 U.S. Championships | 1 76.89 |
1 114.65 |
1 191.54 | |
| December 8–11, 2011 | 2011–12 Grand Prix Final | 1 76.17 |
2 112.38 |
1 188.55 | |
| November 25–27, 2011 | 2011 ISU Grand Prix Rostelecom Cup | 1 69.94 |
1 109.12 |
1 179.06 | |
| October 21–23, 2011 | 2011 ISU Grand Prix Skate America | 1 70.33 |
1 107.74 |
1 178.07 | |
| 2010–2011 season | |||||
| Date | Event | SD | FD | Total | |
| April 24 – May 1, 2011 | 2011 World Championships | 2 73.76 |
1 111.51 |
1 185.27 | |
| February 15–20, 2011 | 2011 Four Continents Championships | 2 69.01 |
1 103.02 |
1 172.03 | |
| January 22–30, 2011 | 2011 U.S. Championships | 1 76.04 |
1 109.44 |
1 185.48 | |
| December 9–12, 2010 | 2010–11 Grand Prix Final | 1 68.64 |
1 102.94 |
1 171.58 | |
| November 12–14, 2010 | 2010 ISU Grand Prix Skate America | 1 63.62 |
1 93.06 |
1 156.68 | |
| October 22–24, 2010 | 2010 ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy | 1 66.97 |
1 98.24 |
1 165.21 | |
| 2009–2010 season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | CD | OD | FD | Total |
| March 22–28, 2010 | 2010 World Championships | 2 43.25 |
2 69.29 |
1 110.49 |
2 223.03 |
| February 14–27, 2010 | 2010 Winter Olympics | 3 41.47 |
2 67.08 |
2 107.19 |
2 215.74 |
| January 14–24, 2010 | 2010 U.S. Championships | 1 45.42 |
1 68.11 |
1 108.76 |
1 222.29 |
| December 3–6, 2009 | 2009–10 ISU Grand Prix Final | N/A | 1 65.80 |
2 103.64 |
1 169.44 |
| November 5–8, 2009 | 2009 ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy | 1 38.09 |
1 63.09 |
1 100.79 |
1 201.97 |
| October 22–25, 2009 | 2009 ISU Grand Prix Rostelecom Cup | 1 37.87 |
1 62.21 |
1 101.02 |
1 201.10 |
| September 23–26, 2009 | 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy | 1 37.62 |
1 62.08 |
1 100.76 |
1 200.46 |
| 2008–09 season | |||||
| Date | Event | CD | OD | FD | Total |
| March 24–28, 2009 | 2009 World Championships | 4 37.73 |
3 62.60 |
3 100.03 |
4 200.36 |
| February 2–8, 2009 | 2009 Four Continents Championships | 2 35.23 |
2 60.42 |
1 96.74 |
1 192.39 |
| January 18–25, 2009 | 2009 U.S. Championships | 1 39.93 |
1 61.93 |
1 99.82 |
1 201.68 |
| December 10–14, 2008 | 2008–09 ISU Grand Prix Final | N/A | 5 55.89 |
3 92.15 |
3 148.04 |
| November 20–23, 2008 | 2008 ISU Grand Prix Rostelecom Cup | 3 35.77 |
8 43.68 |
2 91.16 |
3 170.61 |
| Oct. 31 – Nov. 2, 2008 | 2008 ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada | 1 34.29 |
1 56.36 |
1 88.24 |
1 178.89 |
| 2007–2008 season | |||||
| Date | Event | CD | OD | FD | Total |
| March 16–23, 2008 | 2008 World Championships | 7 34.80 |
7 60.36 |
6 96.03 |
6 191.19 |
| February 11–17, 2008 | 2008 Four Continents Championships | 2 37.36 |
2 61.93 |
2 100.16 |
2 199.45 |
| January 20–27, 2008 | 2008 U.S. Championships | 2 40.59 |
2 62.69 |
2 103.54 |
2 206.82 |
| November 15–18, 2007 | 2007 ISU Grand Prix Trophée Eric Bompard | 4 31.74 |
3 55.25 |
3 89.22 |
3 176.21 |
| October 26–28, 2007 | 2007 ISU Grand Prix Skate America | 5 30.16 |
4 52.84 |
4 85.79 |
4 168.79 |
| 2006–2007 season | |||||
| Date | Event | CD | OD | FD | Total |
| March 20–25, 2007 | 2007 World Championships | 10 31.15 |
8 55.82 |
7 92.17 |
7 179.14 |
| February 7–10, 2007 | 2007 Four Continents Championships | 3 33.68 |
4 54.66 |
5 91.35 |
4 179.69 |
| January 21–28, 2007 | 2007 U.S. Championships | 2 36.18 |
4 54.72 |
3 93.21 |
3 184.11 |
| December 1–3, 2006 | 2006 ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy | 4 29.98 |
4 52.86 |
4 86.65 |
4 169.49 |
| November 3–5, 2006 | 2006 ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada | 8 25.53 |
3 52.30 |
4 84.83 |
4 162.66 |
On March 4, 2014, Davis was announced as one of the contestants on the 18th season of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy. She competed against Charlie White, who was also cast to take part on the 18th season of the show.[74] On May 20, 2014, Davis and Chmerkovskiy were declared the season's champions.
| Week | Dance | Music | Judges' scores[a] | Total score | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha | "All Night" — Icona Pop | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | Safe |
| 2 | Swing | "Big and Bad" — Big Bad Voodoo Daddy | 8 | 9 | 8 | 25 | Safe |
| 3 | Foxtrot | "All of Me" — John Legend | 10 | 9 | 10 | 39[b] | Safe |
| 4[c] | Argentine tango | "Too Close" — Alex Clare | 10 | 9 | 10 | 39[d] | Safe |
| 5 | Samba | "I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" — Louis Prima | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36[e] | Safe |
| 6 | Tango | "Feel So Close" — Calvin Harris | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40[f] | Safe |
| 7 | Salsa | "Adrenalina" — Wisin, featuring Ricky Martin & Jennifer Lopez | 10 | 9 | 10 | 39[g] | Safe |
| Freestyle (Team dance) |
"Livin' la Vida Loca — Ricky Martin | 10 | 9 | 10 | 39[h] | ||
| 8 | Rumba | "Read All About It (Pt. III)" — Emeli Sandé | 9 | 9 | 10 | 36[i] | Safe |
| Samba (Celebrity Dance Duel) |
"I Luh Ya Papi" — Jennifer Lopez, featuring French Montana | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34[j] | ||
| 9 | Jive | "Hound Dog" — Elvis Presley | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40[k] | Safe |
| Viennese waltz | "Just a Fool" — Christina Aguilera & Blake Shelton | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40[k] | ||
| 10 | Argentine tango | "Montserrat" — Bajofondo | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | Winners |
| Freestyle | "Latch (Acoustic)" — Sam Smith | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | ||
| Foxtrot & Cha-cha-cha (Fusion) |
"Glowing" — Nikki Williams | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | ||
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