Americans Davis, White win at NHK Trophy

NAGANO, Japan (AP)—Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White won the ice dance event Sunday at the NHK Trophy.

Davis and White were first after the original dance and were awarded 100.79 points following a strong free program Sunday to finish with a total of 201.97.

Sinead and John Kerr of Britain were second with 177.73 points, followed by Canadians Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier with 165.89.

“It was tough being the last event on a day after everyone else has competed,” White said. “But we were able to make the most of it and skated well both from a technical and artistic standpoint.”

With their second title of the season, reigning U.S. champions White and Davis locked up a spot in the Grand Prix finals in Tokyo on Dec. 3-6.

The Americans completed four lifts successfully in the program to “The Phantom of the Opera.”

“Charlie and I have tried to work on putting difficult elements in and making them work with our choreography,” Davis said. “That’s something we are always working on.”

White said the pair will now focus on the U.S. national championships in January in Spokane, Wash.

“We feel pretty comfortable with our program,” White said. “The Olympics are a long way away and you try not to think to far ahead. We’re focusing right now on the national championships.”

The Kerrs, third in the Trophee Bompard in France, have a good chance to make the GP final.

“Hopefully, we’ll be back here in Japan in three weeks time,” John Kerr said. “It will depend on what some of the other couples do between now and then.”