:00:56. > :00:58.Hello and welcome to Ski Sunday. We are back in Russia for our second
:00:58. > :01:03.instalment of ski racing action from the Caucasus mountains above
:01:03. > :01:07.the city of Sochi. Lastly we saw the men tackling the brand new
:01:07. > :01:12.Olympic downhill, now it is the women's 10 to do battle on Russian
:01:12. > :01:17.snow. The ace is a sensational start,
:01:17. > :01:25.goodness can anyone stop her? She is absolutely shattered. Lindsey
:01:25. > :01:28.Vonn has done it again. Later in the show, Ed get up close and
:01:28. > :01:32.personal with the city of Sochi to see how this area of Russia has
:01:32. > :01:36.changed over the decades. city's infrastructure was woefully
:01:36. > :01:39.under-equipped. It didn't even have an international airport. On top of
:01:39. > :01:49.that, the mountains do not have the required venues, and there were
:01:49. > :01:55.
:01:55. > :02:00.It is women's downhill time, and there is only one name on
:02:00. > :02:06.everyone's lips, Lindsey Vonn. she is so powerful, unbelievable,
:02:06. > :02:12.she has got absolutely everything. She is just strong, mentally so
:02:12. > :02:17.relaxed, focused, unstoppable. we interviewed her on the show, the
:02:17. > :02:21.thing we took away from it was that the Vonn operation is well-oiled,
:02:21. > :02:26.there are no weaknesses. You say that, but she is going through a
:02:26. > :02:30.divorce, not just from her husband, but from her ski coach, her manager.
:02:30. > :02:35.Thomas Vonn was on the US ski team and basically did everything for
:02:35. > :02:40.her. That should have derailed the machine, then. Yes, but she is
:02:40. > :02:44.using skiing as a way of getting away from that. When she is the
:02:44. > :02:48.racing, that is the only time she is detached from that and she is
:02:48. > :02:52.happy, and it has actually made her even faster. It has freed her mind
:02:52. > :02:56.up. She had an all right season last year but she is dominating
:02:56. > :03:00.this year. Last year she had a problem with concussion before the
:03:00. > :03:04.World Championships. She skied the training run in a big jacket, and
:03:04. > :03:08.she was pipped to the overall World Cup title, whereas this year
:03:08. > :03:12.everything has been going well for her. She could not put a foot wrong,
:03:12. > :03:16.everything she turns her hand to, she is even doing well in slalom
:03:16. > :03:24.and giant slalom, which are not the strongest disciplines. Taking all
:03:24. > :03:28.that into account, can anyone beat her? She has been beaten in Cortina
:03:28. > :03:31.pied Daniela Merighetti on her home snow. But this is a brand new
:03:31. > :03:37.course for the girls. When they raced in Vail, it was the first
:03:37. > :03:40.time the women had raised there. Lindsey Vonn won it comfortably, I
:03:41. > :03:44.just cannot see anyone beating her. The men's downhill last week threw
:03:44. > :03:47.up some interesting results, and I would have said that on a new
:03:47. > :03:51.course we might see another name rise to the top, but with that
:03:51. > :04:01.record it is unlikely. There is only one woman in this race.
:04:01. > :04:01.
:04:01. > :04:06.heard it here first, it is going to I really like the track here in
:04:06. > :04:10.Sochi, it is really challenging, there is a lot of terrain, a lot of
:04:10. > :04:15.bumps, but it is fun. I had a great time today, I am looking forward to
:04:15. > :04:18.the race tomorrow and for the Olympics in two years. It is really
:04:18. > :04:22.challenging, really special, the top section is really steep, and
:04:22. > :04:27.then lots of gliding. At the moment it is not easy because there's lots
:04:27. > :04:32.of soft snow on the track, but all in all I like it a lot, it is cool
:04:32. > :04:38.to be at the place for the next Olympics. It is nice down El,
:04:38. > :04:44.partly very bumpy, and the snow was a little soft today. I will see how
:04:44. > :04:48.it is tomorrow. It is a lot of fun, and I think it could be faster, the
:04:48. > :04:52.course, but it is still fun! Downhill has gone well this year
:04:52. > :04:56.for me, I feel good on this course, so I'm looking forward to try to
:04:56. > :05:06.ski my best. I hope I can win tomorrow, but I would be happy with
:05:06. > :05:09.
:05:09. > :05:14.Well, the Olympics in 2010 in Whistler, the women's cause was
:05:14. > :05:18.arguably tougher than the men's. First impressions of this women's
:05:18. > :05:21.course, Rosa Khutor, the start pitch is very, very steep, so it is
:05:21. > :05:30.going to be demanding as they head towards that first jump, the launch
:05:30. > :05:34.The first part is very exciting, it is a straight line down, and then a
:05:34. > :05:44.traverse which is quite difficult. And then we call it the Devil's
:05:44. > :05:45.
:05:45. > :05:51.you go up hill and just fly over this lip. So far, nobody knows
:05:51. > :05:55.exactly how it will be skied, and we tried several settings. We had
:05:55. > :06:01.some tests, it is going to be... It can be a flight through the air, it
:06:01. > :06:04.can be a very tight turn, it can be anything. Well, just like the men's
:06:04. > :06:14.course, the women's cause has a lot of radiance, but I imagine there
:06:14. > :06:15.
:06:15. > :06:25.will be some quite tight turns down Traverse, it is falling away. We
:06:25. > :06:30.
:06:30. > :06:40.are heading towards the largest cause is a little bit flattered
:06:40. > :06:44.
:06:44. > :06:52.almost as tough as the men's, if not tougher. You think that this is
:06:52. > :06:57.a similar situation? No, I rated a little bit easier than Whistler.
:06:57. > :07:07.But if I look at the first part, the first 30% and the last 30%, it
:07:07. > :07:09.is quite challenging. Well, we have but the real obstacle here is
:07:09. > :07:13.Lindsey Vonn. Can anyone beat the American? We will be asking the
:07:13. > :07:18.same question in two years when the Olympics roll around. Joining Matt
:07:18. > :07:22.Chilton in the commentary box is Graham, take it away, boys!
:07:22. > :07:25.weather has closed in on Rosa Khutor, like snow and low cloud has
:07:25. > :07:29.created challenging conditions for the races. The support teams will
:07:29. > :07:39.earn their money today. Time now for the first running of the new
:07:39. > :07:41.
:07:41. > :07:48.States of America. We will see her at the top, coming out of the start
:07:48. > :07:53.gate, picking her up live further down the course now. She is on to
:07:53. > :07:57.this rolling serpentine section of the course. Some nice to rein in
:07:57. > :08:07.here. She has got to try to stay low, stay focused. She is ahead of
:08:07. > :08:12.
:08:12. > :08:18.half a second quicker. She just let that turn belly out, let it run
:08:18. > :08:23.wide in a medal. The outside is very steep towards the finish line.
:08:23. > :08:28.She is in a bit of trouble, drifting wide. The blue paint on
:08:28. > :08:34.the course. But he stays on her feet, and she takes first position.
:08:34. > :08:44.She leads the way for the USA. gutsy performance than that
:08:44. > :08:46.
:08:46. > :08:50.there. Next in the start, the Swiss, she had a really good run last time
:08:50. > :08:55.out in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the downhill there, where she was
:08:55. > :08:59.second behind Lindsey Vonn, signalling a welcome return to form.
:08:59. > :09:03.Again, we will pay cash are lower down the course, because they have
:09:03. > :09:08.shortened the intervals. We do not see the whole of their round,
:09:08. > :09:18.unfortunately. The last jump, the solitary jump, down on to this
:09:18. > :09:19.
:09:19. > :09:22.finishing pitch. Carrying a lot of balance! She is getting on her
:09:22. > :09:27.belly, she will take out that advertising hoarding, but
:09:27. > :09:37.thankfully I think she is OK, just frustrated. Classic mistake,
:09:37. > :09:38.
:09:38. > :09:41.Californian, Stacey Cook, and we have got an American leading the
:09:41. > :09:48.way at the bottom of the hill. Alice McKennis is leading. Cook
:09:48. > :09:54.charges out of the start gate. Coming out are the start, three or
:09:54. > :09:58.four pigs weaving terms to take you down towards the launch pad. --
:09:58. > :10:02.Biggs weaving. You go slightly uphill on this traverse and then
:10:02. > :10:05.dropping over down the other side, quite an interesting feeling skiing
:10:05. > :10:11.over that, heading towards the double spine, the toughest turn on
:10:11. > :10:16.the course. You can see how Stacey Cook managed to swivel her skis to
:10:16. > :10:21.get that extra direction on the gate. Very little room to rest and
:10:21. > :10:27.refuel. She has made a really good start, half a second quicker than
:10:27. > :10:31.their team-mates. Good speed through the gun, 103.7 kph. She
:10:31. > :10:38.tucks across this last section, down into the trees. Slightly
:10:38. > :10:44.improved visibility. How is the time? Still good, 0.26 are now.
:10:44. > :10:49.Good fight over the tunnel John. Carrying speed into the Serpentine.
:10:49. > :10:53.Lots of terrain, lots of rollers, big sweeping turns, important to
:10:53. > :10:59.keep your skis on the snow so you can get some power and acceleration
:10:59. > :11:04.out of each turn. She has had a pretty solid season. Some of the
:11:04. > :11:08.younger Americans really doing well off the back of Lindsey Vonn's
:11:08. > :11:14.incredible success, and Stacey Cook has had respectable form, and she
:11:14. > :11:19.is their level with the other American. She skied that right-
:11:19. > :11:23.hander on to this finishing picture very tight, an aggressive line. The
:11:23. > :11:29.conditions just worsening slightly, a little bit of Bach coming across
:11:29. > :11:39.the course. She comes out of the mist, has she done enough? Yes, 900
:11:39. > :11:56.
:11:56. > :12:04.San'a second, the USA first and Arvier, the best of the French in
:12:04. > :12:10.downhill. A second behind Vonn. Right at the start of the season at
:12:10. > :12:16.Lake Louise in Canada. She has made a positive start here. Quite a
:12:16. > :12:23.slightly-built racer, she relies on getting speed out of each turn,
:12:23. > :12:29.generating speed here. On to the finish pitch now. The weather seems
:12:29. > :12:35.to have improved slightly. Better visibility for Marchand-Arvier.
:12:35. > :12:42.Getting bounced around. She can see the finishing line now. And, she
:12:42. > :12:52.has got the lead. It is really tight between the top racers. She
:12:52. > :12:59.
:12:59. > :13:04.You will remember she was the racer pushed out of the start, who fell
:13:04. > :13:09.immediately, in the last Olympics. She had a terrible injury to her
:13:09. > :13:15.knee which kept her away from the slopes for six months. Back to good
:13:15. > :13:21.form. Ahead of her team-mate, Marchand-Arvier. You can see those
:13:21. > :13:26.early intermediate times. Carrying good speed from the tunnel jump.
:13:26. > :13:32.And, through the serpentine, approaching the final pitch. Look
:13:32. > :13:36.at the lead she has got now, half a second. She really picked up some
:13:36. > :13:44.time through that serpentine section, able to accelerate out of
:13:44. > :13:52.reach turn. A bank of cloud is causing problems. Rolland is
:13:52. > :13:57.through the other side, and into top spot by a huge margin! An
:13:57. > :14:02.excellent run for Rolland, France are first and second now.
:14:02. > :14:10.She absolutely nailed this low part of the course, from the Tunnel Jump
:14:10. > :14:16.down, absorbing all the rollers, generating speed. And good
:14:16. > :14:22.commitment on that final pitch. The biggest start in World skiing,
:14:22. > :14:28.Linsdey Vonn, from Colorado. Fine adjustments with her hand, focus,
:14:28. > :14:36.make sure of the grip. And, she goes. With an aggressive
:14:36. > :14:41.push, the winner of four downhill races already this season. Three
:14:41. > :14:46.Super-G victories, and giant slalom, she is on top of her form. That was
:14:46. > :14:51.a beautiful turn. The and of that she created on that left hand has
:14:51. > :15:01.generated so much more speed over this section they call the launch
:15:01. > :15:07.pad. Heading towards the Devil's Spine, and a beautiful turn.
:15:07. > :15:16.hundredths up. She will hope to back this up with a gold medal on
:15:16. > :15:26.this course. In the 2014. A little mistake there. That will cost her
:15:26. > :15:26.
:15:26. > :15:32.speed along the Bolshoi Traverse. The split is 56.84. Vonn is ahead.
:15:32. > :15:40.A massive jump on the Tunnel Jump. Flailing in the air. The speed
:15:40. > :15:50.meant she jumped so much further than the others. And a mistake. She
:15:50. > :16:06.
:16:06. > :16:12.didn't see that bomb at all. -- than Rolland. Now on to the really
:16:12. > :16:16.stick finish. A little bit scrappy. Good on the top of the course, led
:16:16. > :16:21.-- less good below. It has an imperfect but it is good enough to
:16:22. > :16:28.lead the way, she is in front again, half a second faster. Excellent
:16:28. > :16:32.form once again from Linsdey Vonn from the USA.
:16:32. > :16:42.This was the Tunnel Jump, the massive flight she had. From there,
:16:42. > :16:45.
:16:45. > :16:49.last year the German snatch the overall World Cup title from
:16:49. > :16:59.Linsdey Vonn, but things haven't been so easy. She missed pre-season
:16:59. > :17:06.
:17:06. > :17:10.training and has only won once this best of friends, then they had a
:17:10. > :17:14.fall-out since Vonn announced her divorce and Maria got married they
:17:14. > :17:24.have become friends again. A weird set of events but they are once
:17:24. > :17:34.
:17:34. > :17:37.again close pals. They are very Olympic course in Rosa Khutor.
:17:37. > :17:42.skied that right hander onto this finished pitch quite well, carrying
:17:42. > :17:47.speed through the turn. It took a while for her season to get going,
:17:47. > :17:54.one win in a super combined in St Moritz. But, she leads the weight
:17:54. > :18:04.in Rosa Khutor by six tents of a second, to deny Vonn. A fantastic
:18:04. > :18:09.
:18:09. > :18:19.That was this the right hander, on to the finish pitch, where she
:18:19. > :18:20.
:18:20. > :18:30.carried that much more speed downhill win this season. It came
:18:30. > :18:58.
:18:58. > :19:08.in Cortina. She is a little way off racer. -- Merighetti is a gutsy
:19:08. > :19:14.
:19:14. > :19:24.home. How close can she get? Close enough for 4th place. Another solid
:19:24. > :19:31.
:19:31. > :19:41.leads the way. The Devil's Spine part of the course is getting very
:19:41. > :19:50.
:19:50. > :19:57.macro is capable of beating anyone on her day. She has hit a rich vein
:19:57. > :20:07.of form and cannot be ruled out. In the start, Julia Mancuso macro
:20:07. > :20:11.
:20:11. > :20:19.when of the season in the Super-G. This she is a little way off the
:20:20. > :20:28.pace here. She is pushing hard, typical. There is a big gap between
:20:28. > :20:32.first and third. Mancuso macro will be pushing for the podium. Perhaps
:20:32. > :20:42.a little bit too flat, she would prefer the course to be a bit
:20:42. > :20:44.
:20:44. > :20:51.pace but there is a good chance of another solid result. She has given
:20:51. > :21:01.it everything again. Hoefl-Riesch remains in the top spot. And
:21:01. > :21:10.
:21:10. > :21:20.has been training with the Swiss team this season and her form has
:21:20. > :21:20.
:21:20. > :21:30.noticeably improved. She is behind Vonn in the standings after four
:21:30. > :21:40.podium finishers -- finishes. From an epic racing pedigree, the
:21:40. > :21:42.
:21:42. > :21:47.daughter of a World Cup when her for Austria -- winner. She has had
:21:47. > :21:55.a fantastic season as well, with no fewer than six top 10 placings in
:21:55. > :22:01.World Cup downhill racing. Technically, a very good skier, not
:22:01. > :22:08.as big as some of the other downhill women. Carrying good speed
:22:08. > :22:15.on to the last jumper. Absolutely fearless. And she has great speed,
:22:15. > :22:19.pushing again. This has been a monumental season for her, she
:22:19. > :22:29.rounds it off on the Olympic course with a place on the podium again,
:22:29. > :22:32.
:22:32. > :22:36.third position. It just gets better Elisabeth Goergl, who won the
:22:36. > :22:40.super-G and the downhill last year. This season she has impressed again
:22:40. > :22:49.with their attacking style. She has not been outside the top 10 since
:22:49. > :22:53.December. Elisabeth Goergl in the start for Austria, number 22. She
:22:53. > :22:58.could spoil the celebrations for Maria Hoefl-Riesch here today. She
:22:58. > :23:03.has had a pretty good season, the downhill world champion, a title
:23:03. > :23:10.she won in Garmisch last February. She had never won a World Cup this
:23:10. > :23:14.season until she took one at home in Bad Kleinkirchheim. Typical of
:23:14. > :23:19.Google, full speed ahead. Acting she would prefer the conditions to
:23:19. > :23:27.the icy and harder. She's a really aggressive skier who likes to have
:23:27. > :23:31.it really firm underfoot. But this is good! Just lost the pressure on
:23:31. > :23:41.the outside ski in the middle of that term. Carrying good speed,
:23:41. > :23:46.
:23:46. > :23:55.run for the Austrian team,1:49.60, she is on the podium. -- Elisabeth
:23:55. > :24:00.Goergl. She has done it again, good work! Oh, just so aggressive, see
:24:01. > :24:09.how she is treating her teeth through the turns -- gritting her
:24:09. > :24:17.teeth. Number 26, Lotte Sejersted for Norway, the best of the
:24:17. > :24:24.Norwegians this season. A promising junior... She is in trouble here!
:24:24. > :24:28.Yet, just going on to the double spine, she started with an inside
:24:28. > :24:33.ski mistake. The crash actually got worse and worse and worse as she
:24:33. > :24:37.went through. Just went down hard, she did not see that bum at all,
:24:37. > :24:40.and then she is caught in the soft snow, and this is rare these days
:24:40. > :24:50.do not release and spin around nastily on her. Hopefully she has
:24:50. > :25:01.
:25:01. > :25:04.not read anything too badly. She is Maria Hoefl-Riesch! Well, much like
:25:04. > :25:09.the men's race last week, it was the lower section of the course
:25:10. > :25:14.that was key, that is where she won this race. Elizabeth Eto'o, as
:25:14. > :25:18.aggressive as ever, she will be looking forward to racing in 2014.
:25:18. > :25:23.-- Elisabeth Goergl. Lindsey Vonn was superb at the top of the course,
:25:23. > :25:32.but mistakes crept in further down. But she takes the title with two
:25:32. > :25:36.Sochi will host the first were under gains on Russian snow and the
:25:36. > :25:41.first Olympics in Russia since the Cold War of 1980. A lot has changed
:25:41. > :25:44.since then, Communism has long gone. Local commerce and industry in this
:25:44. > :25:48.part of Russia has boomed, capitalising on the billions
:25:48. > :25:54.ploughed into the Games. However, not everyone has benefited, and
:25:54. > :25:59.preparations have been far from smooth, as Ed has been finding out.
:25:59. > :26:05.The 22nd Olympic winter Games in 2014 are awarded to the City of
:26:05. > :26:10.Sochi! It is four and a half years since Sochi, a city on the shores
:26:10. > :26:14.of the Black Sea, won the bid to host the 2014 winter Olympics, seen
:26:14. > :26:18.as one of the most unlikely choices. Not least because the city's
:26:18. > :26:21.infrastructure was woefully under- equipped. It didn't even have an
:26:21. > :26:24.international airport. On top of that, the mountains have none of
:26:24. > :26:29.the required venues and there were questions over security. But all
:26:29. > :26:39.these things were mere trivialities in the face of Russia's might and
:26:39. > :26:51.
:26:51. > :26:54.Sochi first came to prominence in the early 20th century when Stalin
:26:54. > :26:58.decided to develop the town as a coastal resort for Socialist
:26:59. > :27:08.Workers. But these days the oligarchs run the town, and the
:27:09. > :27:11.
:27:11. > :27:15.only thing pouring in faster than The vast sums of money swilling
:27:15. > :27:19.around in Russia at the moment have provoked allegations of corruption.
:27:19. > :27:23.But that is a traditionally plan Destine world, but it was all blown
:27:24. > :27:28.wide open just over the road from here when the second biggest Mafia
:27:28. > :27:36.boss in Russia was gunned down in broad daylight. According to local
:27:36. > :27:39.police, the shooting was macro building contracts. Corrupt or --
:27:39. > :27:43.the shooting was about Olympic building contracts. They are now
:27:43. > :27:50.leaving nothing to chance and security is so tight we nearly had
:27:50. > :27:55.to hand over our equipment wise filming at the marina. -- whilst.
:27:55. > :28:00.We have got two to thanks Constantine here for today. The
:28:00. > :28:04.first and most important is getting us off a potential rap with the
:28:04. > :28:09.police. We were just filming the sunset, and they decided that they
:28:09. > :28:16.did not like that. The managed to talk them out of confiscating our
:28:16. > :28:21.cameras. Secondly, he has ordered a some dried fish, a local delicacy.
:28:21. > :28:27.It is strong, quite salty, but it goes well with the beer. There is a
:28:27. > :28:32.local inn here. I have got my fingers crossed we do not bump into
:28:32. > :28:34.any of those later. It is my birthday, I have promised I will be
:28:34. > :28:38.more adventurous with the food tomorrow. The next morning,
:28:38. > :28:44.travelling south alongside the Black Sea, we made our way to the
:28:44. > :28:47.leg Park, known as the coastal cluster. -- the Olympic Park. The
:28:47. > :28:51.scale of the allegedly blood stained building contracts became
:28:51. > :28:56.immediately evident. The coastal cluster will accommodate over
:28:56. > :28:59.70,000 visitors at a time, and it's the most compact park built in the
:28:59. > :29:04.history of the winter Olympics. Constructed in a circular formation,
:29:04. > :29:07.each venue is no more than 10 minutes' walk from the other.
:29:07. > :29:12.Curling, ice hockey, speed skating, or the ice based disciplines will
:29:12. > :29:16.be housed on the shores of the Black Sea. The obligatory security
:29:16. > :29:26.checks out of the way, we were given exclusive access into one of
:29:26. > :29:28.
:29:28. > :29:32.the most impressive building This is the centrepiece of the
:29:32. > :29:37.Olympic Park, a 40,000 seat stadium that will host the opening and
:29:37. > :29:40.closing ceremonies of the winter Games. Then, in 2018, it will be
:29:40. > :29:45.one of the venues when Russia hosts the FIFA World Cup, but they get
:29:45. > :29:48.even more bang for the park when the entire Park will host the first
:29:48. > :29:58.ever Formula One race on Russian sorrow. They are certainly getting
:29:58. > :30:03.
:30:03. > :30:07.their money's worth. -- Russian This is the iceberg, the venue
:30:07. > :30:11.where the darling of Russian figure-skating will be expected to
:30:11. > :30:14.win his gold medal, but cast your mind back to Vancouver when Russia
:30:14. > :30:22.came a dismal 11th in the medals table, a disappointment that will
:30:22. > :30:32.not be repeated. Remember, Sochi 2014 is Vladimir Putin's baby, and
:30:32. > :30:32.
:30:32. > :30:42.Whilst we were here, his number two, the Deputy Prime Minister, was
:30:42. > :31:10.
:31:10. > :31:17.The politicians will be wanting to avoid scenes like this during the
:31:17. > :31:21.Olympics. Less than two kilometres behind me is the Georgian-Russian
:31:21. > :31:24.border, and in 2008, when most people were focused on the Olympics
:31:24. > :31:29.in Beijing, there was a bloody territorial war waged over this
:31:29. > :31:33.border. While on paper it looks like a David versus Goliath match-
:31:33. > :31:37.up, the idea of the world's media being focused on the Olympics less
:31:37. > :31:41.than 10 kilometres from the border could be seen as an opportune
:31:41. > :31:48.moment for Georgia to raise its grievances. Fingers crossed the
:31:48. > :31:54.conflict does not escalate again. It is the wish of every one to show
:31:54. > :31:58.that safety and security is a special concern, so of course all
:31:58. > :32:03.around you can see a lot of military guys and policemen. They
:32:03. > :32:10.are very visible, these pre-emptive measures, and I would give you my
:32:10. > :32:14.opinion. For me, this is safe and it is normal for the World Cup and
:32:14. > :32:20.the Olympic Games that everyone pays attention. I am living here
:32:20. > :32:25.for more than one year now, and I feel absolutely safe and in total
:32:26. > :32:30.security in this region. They should fear nothing. We have
:32:30. > :32:34.undoubtedly overawed it here. There is a fantastic amount of food. It
:32:34. > :32:40.is all a kind of fusion, there is a lot of Middle-Eastern influence,
:32:40. > :32:47.Mediterranean, a bit of Balkan as well. The meat is fantastic. This
:32:47. > :32:52.is supposedly Georgian cuisine, and it is quite at that we're having
:32:52. > :32:55.that having been so close to the border today. The venues look
:32:55. > :32:59.fantastic, the mountains that we have seen look absolutely stunning.
:32:59. > :33:09.At the moment, apart from the food, that is what I am preoccupied with.
:33:09. > :33:13.
:33:14. > :33:20.Day 3, and we are heading up to Krasnaya Polyana, the Mountain
:33:20. > :33:26.Cluster. Our first glimpse, and the Mercury has plummeted. We are
:33:26. > :33:30.driving up, it will take two hours on the old road. This is a huge
:33:30. > :33:36.tunnel for a new motorway which will cut the journey down to under
:33:36. > :33:40.half an hour. In the valley on the way up to Krasnaya Polyana where
:33:40. > :33:47.the Mountain Cluster is located, the first Olympic venue we came
:33:47. > :33:50.across was the jumping centre. The ski jumping arena is still under
:33:50. > :33:57.construction and is slightly behind a schedule but that doesn't seem to
:33:57. > :34:01.be worrying anyone. What strikes me is, these are some of the most
:34:01. > :34:06.stunning visually. Most significantly, the first time women
:34:06. > :34:14.have jumped at the Olympic Games and they will do it before 10,000
:34:14. > :34:20.spectators. Another very impressive venue.
:34:20. > :34:25.Great Britain has a medal, oh yes! Williams is the Queen of speed.
:34:25. > :34:33.Recently, Bob skeleton has provided Team GB with more Winter Olympic
:34:33. > :34:43.medals than any other discipline. This is the two kilometre track
:34:43. > :34:47.with speeds of up to 130 kilometres an hour. The highest so -- peak is
:34:47. > :34:51.Rosa Khutor where the alpine events will be held. The lift system here
:34:51. > :34:56.was made up of a ramshackle collection of ancient chairlift.
:34:56. > :35:02.Now, they have a maze of chairlifts which have opened these mountains
:35:02. > :35:08.up. They can now boast the kind of terrain size which would make any
:35:08. > :35:14.resort in the European Alps jealous. We can only be impressed by the
:35:14. > :35:18.massive investment and magnitude of this project. We are impressed how
:35:18. > :35:27.rapidly hour Russian colleagues can put in place this infrastructure in
:35:27. > :35:33.the valleys and mountains. We will build up to nine new state-of-the-
:35:33. > :35:38.art lifts, it is amazing. I am not aware of any other project of this
:35:38. > :35:42.size in the world in the tourism industry.
:35:42. > :35:45.The one of the biggest tests facing a venue when they applied to host
:35:45. > :35:50.the Olympics is whether they can deliver a challenging downhill
:35:50. > :35:55.course. The one laid out below make his prove that Rosa Khutor has the
:35:55. > :36:00.credentials. If you think about how much vertical mountain a racer
:36:00. > :36:08.needs to travel for two minutes at 60 miles an hour average speed,
:36:08. > :36:18.they will use up an awful lot of mountain. 1,700 metres, an awful
:36:18. > :36:23.
:36:23. > :36:31.I am not joking, this is the best menu a I have ever seen. An English
:36:31. > :36:39.translation of a Russian venue. The foreign visitors. The assorted
:36:39. > :36:48.butchers shop. This is what it says! My personal favourite,
:36:48. > :36:53.vegetables pickled Granita Tavern. I am having for pudding a cake with
:36:53. > :37:03.honey. Alongside the traditional sports of
:37:03. > :37:08.
:37:08. > :37:13.moguls, you have ski half pipe. Boarder cross. And here, the new
:37:13. > :37:20.kid on the block, a series of jumps down a long course. Skiers and
:37:20. > :37:25.snowboarders can play. It is in the snowboard discipline that Britain
:37:25. > :37:35.has its best medal chance. Jenny jones already has three Winter
:37:35. > :37:39.
:37:39. > :37:46.Games medals to her name. She has This resort succeeds on so many
:37:46. > :37:53.levels. It is an Olympic worthy venue. More importantly, it is a
:37:53. > :37:58.beautiful mountain and an I have to admit I didn't come to
:37:58. > :38:03.Sochi with high expectations but this resort has really impressed me.
:38:03. > :38:10.The Games here will be like no other. The Winter Olympics has
:38:10. > :38:13.always had a special place in my heart.
:38:13. > :38:16.I grew up watching the legendary rivalry between Franz Klammer and
:38:16. > :38:19.Bernard Russi. However there was an even greater sporting clash that
:38:19. > :38:22.made a bigger impression on me. titanic encounter, played out on
:38:22. > :38:29.both a sporting stage and a complicated political stage. This
:38:29. > :38:33.history books refer to it simple as the Miracle on Ice. 1980, decades
:38:33. > :38:39.of tension between the US and Soviet Union had reached fever
:38:39. > :38:44.pitch. This was the heat of the Cold War. The Russian invasion of
:38:44. > :38:48.Afghanistan angered America. And in an Olympic year of birth Winter and
:38:48. > :38:52.Summer Games, the political friction would be played out on the
:38:52. > :38:56.world's biggest sporting stage. Those who believe sport has nothing
:38:56. > :39:01.to do with politics are living in a dream world. The Olympics were
:39:01. > :39:06.viewed as the perfect opportunity to prove the success and dominance
:39:06. > :39:12.of a regime. At the Winter Games in 1980, America's rivalry with the
:39:12. > :39:18.Soviets would be at its most intense on the ice.
:39:18. > :39:25.They are from the grace and start of the ski slopes. America knocked
:39:25. > :39:29.out Russia. 2-1. Since the Winter Games began, these are old
:39:29. > :39:37.adversaries have faced off for Olympic gold. While the event was
:39:37. > :39:41.played by amateurs, the Soviets dominated. In 1980, they were
:39:41. > :39:46.overwhelming favourites having won gold in the four-man crew previous
:39:46. > :39:51.Games. In the bitter chill of a Cold War storm, the Russians set
:39:51. > :39:56.foot on American soil. They would face their posts in Lake Placid.
:39:56. > :40:03.The atmosphere that greeted there was far from serene. You sat on the
:40:03. > :40:06.bench, you hear the chanting, the noise, it was so loud. It was so
:40:06. > :40:13.important for us to have that atmosphere. We worry young team,
:40:13. > :40:17.that relied on emotion and intensity. But cat and Mike
:40:17. > :40:21.Eruzione led a side of experienced college kids. Many of their Russian
:40:21. > :40:27.opponents were drafted from the Soviet military, strength in body
:40:27. > :40:37.and mind, built on a foundation of gruelling training and genuine
:40:37. > :40:41.
:40:41. > :40:51.talent. COMMENTATOR: A tremendous goal!
:40:51. > :40:54.
:40:54. > :41:02.They have equalised, three goals each. Goal! Mike Eruzione has put
:41:02. > :41:06.the United States in the lead, 4-3. What a sensation! The time now on
:41:06. > :41:13.the clock going down. We were throwing our body in front of
:41:13. > :41:16.everything, it was great. COMMENTATOR: Five seconds. And, the
:41:16. > :41:21.United States has beaten the Soviet Union.
:41:21. > :41:25.For it was bedlam. I think just the atmosphere for the players, it was
:41:25. > :41:31.so genuine. 38 years I have been reporting on
:41:31. > :41:34.ice hockey and I have never seen a seen by his before. Known now as
:41:34. > :41:39.the miracle on Ice, the Americans had won the battle in the sporting
:41:39. > :41:49.Cold War. They went on to capture a gold and the imagination of their
:41:49. > :41:49.
:41:49. > :41:53.country. Can I speak to the captain? Hello, Mr President.
:41:53. > :42:02.all the team how much I love them and we will see them at the White
:42:02. > :42:06.House, we are all proud you. Good luck to you. Winning Olympic gold
:42:06. > :42:16.on home ground meant so much to the nation even when the political
:42:16. > :42:18.
:42:18. > :42:26.COMMENTATOR: Canada's moment, gold. Similar scenes in Canada two years
:42:26. > :42:34.ago. Russia will be hoping for Behrendt Miracle on Ice in Sochi.
:42:34. > :42:39.I have genuinely enjoyed my time in Sochi, and the prospect of coming
:42:39. > :42:48.back for the 20 14th Winter Olympics is mouth-watering. Skiing
:42:48. > :42:54.and snowboarding will have the lion's share of the Games. Well,
:42:54. > :42:56.sadly that's it from Ski Sunday for this winter. It's got to be the
:42:56. > :42:59.great Didier Cuche conquering KItzbuhel for the fifth time.
:42:59. > :43:09.didn't think I would ever see a skier break Klammer's stranglehold
:43:09. > :43:10.