When they hit the ice in Sochi, the most accomplished American ice dancers in history will be going for the only prize that has eluded them for 17 years.
“We have dreams of Olympic gold," Meryl Davis said Friday on TODAY. "I don’t want to say that’s what drives us, but it’s certainly on our minds all the time."
Watch the video: Davis, White look to cement legacy
Davis, 27, and her ice skating partner, Charlie White, 26, won silver at the last Winter Games, losing gold to Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Coincidentally, the Americans have trained with the Canadian pair in the same Detroit rink. They even share the same skating coach.
But Davis said the overlap hasn't created any tension in their preparation, mainly because of the faith they have in their coach.
“I think every team has a really different style of kind of crafting their programs so we go about doing things differently,” she said.
Davis and White have been skating partners for the past 17 years, crediting mutual respect for their longevity.
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“You’re not going to get very far in any partnership or relationship without having a great deal of respect for one another,” White said.
The silver medal the pair earned in 2010 was the duo's first world medal and White said it gave them a huge shot of confidence that shaped the direction of their skating. They’ve gone on to win the world championships and, in January, their sixth consecutive national championship.
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White said he definitely dreams of their one elusive medal, but feels incredibly honored to just be where he is at the Winter Games.
“Going over as ambassadors for our country in the greatest sporting event in the world, we want to set a great example,” White said. “I think we have a really great opportunity to do that.”