0:00:35 > 0:00:42Welcome to the 2018 Winter OIympics from PyeongChang.
0:00:42 > 0:00:48We will be bringing you something a bit extra. My name is Radzi and we
0:00:48 > 0:00:51will bring you extended highlights over the next 16 days of summer the
0:00:51 > 0:01:01best action from right in South Korea.
0:01:05 > 0:01:13# The sky is a neighbourhood # So keep it down
0:01:13 > 0:01:23# The heart is a
0:01:23 > 0:01:26# The heart is a storybook # A star burned out
0:01:26 > 0:01:34# The sky is a neighbourhood # The sky is a neighbourhood
0:01:34 > 0:01:41# Don't look down # O my dear
0:01:41 > 0:01:46# Heaven is a big bed now -- bang now
0:01:46 > 0:01:50# Got to get to sleep somehow # Banging on the ceiling
0:01:50 > 0:01:54# Banging on the ceiling # Keep it down
0:01:54 > 0:02:03# The sky is a neighbourhood # The sky is a neighbourhood. #
0:02:03 > 0:02:06We'll start at the ski jumping and the men's normal hill event.
0:02:06 > 0:02:13Poland's Kamil Stoch is the man to beat.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17The double Olympic champion from 2014 in the normal hill and a large
0:02:17 > 0:02:21hill. He is vying to become the first man ever to win the double
0:02:21 > 0:02:24double in consecutive Olympics and with that in mind, let's find out a
0:02:24 > 0:02:29bit more about how the sport works.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Ski jumping takes place on the normal hill all the large hill.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Competitors typically jump further than the length of a football pitch
0:02:35 > 0:02:42at speeds of up to 90 mph. Distance is the biggest factor in success but
0:02:42 > 0:02:47points are also awarded for style in outrun, posture, flight and landing.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Points for distance are determined by where a jumper lands in relation
0:02:51 > 0:02:56to the Cape point which is the equivalent of a par school involved.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00If an athlete jumps beyond the mark, they get extra points. If they come
0:03:00 > 0:03:04up short, they lose points. Each competitor has tee jumps which are
0:03:04 > 0:03:11combined in the final standings. Japan's Noriaki Kasai became the
0:03:11 > 0:03:15oldest ever ski jumping medallist in Sochi and he is back for a record
0:03:15 > 0:03:21eighth Winter Games in Pyeongchang at the ripe old age of 45.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Over to Ollie Williams who's in the commentary box for this one.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31COMMENTATOR: 45 Herald Noriaki Kasai, eight Olympic Games, they
0:03:31 > 0:03:36love him, he is so popular in the sport. -- 45-year-old. He did not
0:03:36 > 0:03:39even bother with the warm up the night, if you've done seven
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Olympics, why put yourself through the extra warm up jump, surely you
0:03:42 > 0:03:49have got it down packed by now? And Noriaki Kasai, in his beautiful,
0:03:49 > 0:03:54gold jumping soup, will wait to see if the wind will be hate for him.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Come on, you have tamed age, the least you can do is tame the wind.
0:03:57 > 0:04:12There we go, green. Oh, into the air! Lovely jump, Noriaki Kasai.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16There is a smile. He has been so nervous this week, it has been
0:04:16 > 0:04:21crazy. He is still going and he thought about going through all the
0:04:21 > 0:04:30way to 2026. He is third for now.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Karl Geiger, really impressive in qualifying, 103.5 metres, that
0:04:42 > 0:04:49should be enough to get him through. 120.3, provisional lead.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25Stefan Hula from Poland has just pulled off the kind of jump that you
0:05:25 > 0:05:31really want to pull off in an Olympic final evening. Beautiful,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35beautiful jump. You will see there, coming through, cutting through the
0:05:35 > 0:05:38green laser that shows you the distance to beat, just about stuck
0:05:38 > 0:05:43the Telemark landing and almost before he is on the ground, his arm
0:05:43 > 0:05:46is up in the air and his coaches are celebrating. That is the traditional
0:05:46 > 0:05:56fist bump from the Polish coach, and the judges loved it, 19s across the
0:05:56 > 0:06:00board out of 20. 131.8 and Stefan Hula goes into the provisional lead,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04qualifies for the next and second round of this final with ease.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Robert Johansson and his moustache escort themselves out onto the
0:06:08 > 0:06:15starting gate. Down in a lowly 19th place and qualifying, Norway, big,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19ski jumping nation, we are in a run of three Norwegians, Robert
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Johansson is the first, we will say Johann Andre Forfang and then Daniel
0:06:21 > 0:06:26Andre Tande and any of these could be contenders for medal. Let's see
0:06:26 > 0:06:29how Robert Johansson gets on.
0:06:36 > 0:06:43He looked a little unsettled in the air he is coach looks reasonably
0:06:43 > 0:06:48content. I'm not sure he held the form well enough for the judges.
0:06:48 > 0:06:55Maybe a little low. You see, there's a lot of little adjustment going on
0:06:55 > 0:07:01in the air with the arms. Landing is not too bad. You want to keep your
0:07:01 > 0:07:06skis just about shoulder with the land, that if they can at landing
0:07:06 > 0:07:09when you bend your knee and transfer your weight from your front foot
0:07:09 > 0:07:17slowly to the back. -- that is a Telemark landing. It is all right
0:07:17 > 0:07:21from the judges gone into sixth place. It surely you the level that
0:07:21 > 0:07:26athletes demand of themselves is going up as we go into the
0:07:26 > 0:07:29competition because that school is very respectable but he knows it is
0:07:29 > 0:07:33now 12 points off the lead and that is a big distance. -- that school is
0:07:33 > 0:07:38very respectable. Johann Andre Forfang won the last pre-Olympic
0:07:38 > 0:07:48World Cup event. The issue for this man is consistency. If he can put
0:07:48 > 0:07:52together two good jumps in a row, he's going to be a contender. It
0:07:52 > 0:07:57very rarely happens, in the last World Cup event it happened and he
0:07:57 > 0:08:01beat Kamil Stoch, the Olympic champion from 2014, who we will see
0:08:01 > 0:08:05in a few jumps time, by just a couple of points. Fine margin but he
0:08:05 > 0:08:14has a win under his belt, Johann Andre Forfang.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25So, 125.9, goes into second. That is very solid and that is the first
0:08:25 > 0:08:32time we have seen someone get close to Stefan Hula from Poland. Now
0:08:32 > 0:08:37another Norwegian, third in the triumvirate, Daniel Andre Tande, had
0:08:37 > 0:08:41a tooth infection a week, been on antibiotics, does not really make a
0:08:41 > 0:08:44big difference to ski jumpers, it will just hurt when the cold air is
0:08:44 > 0:08:54on your face. A smidgen short. Yeah. 103.5 metres is a couple of what we
0:08:54 > 0:08:58saw from Johann Andre Forfang just now. Equal with Stefan Kraft, the
0:08:58 > 0:09:05world champion we saw a few minutes ago. A little bit later when we get
0:09:05 > 0:09:08to the fine around, I'm going to tell you a story about Daniel Andre
0:09:08 > 0:09:16Tande. He's afraid heights. I shall explain. -- afraid of heights.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Turned 24 last month, and he is the ski flying world champion where they
0:09:19 > 0:09:25go over 200 metres plus. Although right now, he maybe isn't flying
0:09:25 > 0:09:30quite the way he would like. Starting to feel like the Norwegian
0:09:30 > 0:09:36coach is just fist bump, come what may.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40may. 180.7, tenth place and I think Daniel Andre Tande, with that little
0:09:40 > 0:09:44ways, is waving goodbye to his chance of an Olympic medal. -- 100
0:09:44 > 0:09:4718.7. But you never know, we have seen some of the top jumpers are not
0:09:47 > 0:09:51getting what they want, here. You never know what will happen in the
0:09:51 > 0:09:54final round. Andreas Wellinger, topped in qualifying, surprised
0:09:54 > 0:09:59himself as much as anyone else. 22 years old. Ruined his chances of a
0:09:59 > 0:10:04medal four years ago with a bad first-round jump. Now is the time to
0:10:04 > 0:10:12put that right, if we get a green light on the wind. The coach looks
0:10:12 > 0:10:18down, tames his eyebrows, gives it the green flag.
0:10:18 > 0:10:26Solid take-off. Good distance. Just not quite the longest jump we have
0:10:26 > 0:10:36seen but I think 104.5, depending on the form scores from the judges, is
0:10:36 > 0:10:42going to leave Andreas Wellinger just about in contention.
0:10:42 > 0:10:50So here is the form. Hold it. Don't let it waver. Come in to land. Hold
0:10:50 > 0:10:55the Telemark.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08We have already seen Markus Eisenbichler look really good
0:11:08 > 0:11:14tonight for Germany. Andreas Wellinger goes ahead of both him and
0:11:14 > 0:11:23Karl Geiger. 124.9. That brings us to another German, Richard Freitag.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28This man is their favourite. They think he has the chance to win. Good
0:11:28 > 0:11:37distance. Good, good distance. 106 metres, that is going to be a
0:11:37 > 0:11:41contender. It is still five metres of Stefan Hula's monster John from
0:11:41 > 0:11:46earlier. But there is a strong chance Richard Freitag could go
0:11:46 > 0:11:50second, here. He had a troubling build-up to the competition. His
0:11:50 > 0:11:54final jump in the competition last week was only the 28th best, when he
0:11:54 > 0:12:00hasn't been among the top three -- when he has been among the top three
0:12:00 > 0:12:03all season. He was unsettled by the wind then so it can't be helped a
0:12:03 > 0:12:06night when the wind has been a real struggle. But that was good. That
0:12:06 > 0:12:11looks like it might put him in contention. Let's see how the judges
0:12:11 > 0:12:18reacted. They loved it. 19s, as soon as you see 19 on the board, you know
0:12:18 > 0:12:23someone will be a very happy man, Richard Freitag goes third, 125.5,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27six points off, now defending Olympic champion Kamil Stoch won the
0:12:27 > 0:12:32normal and large hill events in 2014. Qualified in second place
0:12:32 > 0:12:35here. Immediately dismissed the jump he did as not very good. What has he
0:12:35 > 0:12:40got tonight?
0:12:40 > 0:12:47He has got a big jump, that is what he has got. That is up there, the
0:12:47 > 0:12:54Polish brands loving it -- Polish fans loving it. Bidding to be the
0:12:54 > 0:12:59first man to successfully defend a normal hill title. He could be the
0:12:59 > 0:13:08first to do a double double in back-to-back games. We saw Simon
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Ammann winning double in 2002 and 2010, no one has ever done it
0:13:12 > 0:13:17back-to-back. We'll Kamil Stoch be able to do it? He is the last jumper
0:13:17 > 0:13:22of the night. Let's see where he will fit in. You can see he was a
0:13:22 > 0:13:28bit of course, down there. There is the fist bump. 125.9, into second
0:13:28 > 0:13:36place. Well, Kamil Stoch is up there, never with Johann Andre
0:13:36 > 0:13:43Forfang of Norway, but they both trail Stefan Hula all of Poland by
0:13:43 > 0:13:47more than five points. -- level with Johann Andre Forfang. That will make
0:13:47 > 0:13:51it really interesting because Stefan Hula has come from nowhere to lead
0:13:51 > 0:13:58this Olympic ski jump final after one round of two. Now Daniel Andre
0:13:58 > 0:14:02Tande, it might seem somewhat unlikely for a ski jumper to be
0:14:02 > 0:14:05afraid of heights but he says when he was painting his grandmother's
0:14:05 > 0:14:09house, just standing on a ladder on the first floor and looking down,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13his fear was so paralysing it would take him half an hour to get down so
0:14:13 > 0:14:17he used ski jumping as a kid to get over it. And now here he is, jumping
0:14:17 > 0:14:21in the Olympics. That is one way to get over your fears and what a jump!
0:14:21 > 0:14:31What a jump. Daniel Andre Tande delivers. From his grandmother's
0:14:31 > 0:14:38ladder to an incredible Olympic jump from Daniel Andre Tande. Excellent
0:14:38 > 0:14:45distance, 111.5 metres. Just short of what we saw Pat O'Brien to do but
0:14:45 > 0:14:53still very solid. -- just short of the best we have seen. I think we're
0:14:53 > 0:15:01going to see Daniel Andre Tande ahead into the lead, here.
0:15:01 > 0:15:11He is impressed. Daniel Andre Tande is very impressed.
0:15:16 > 0:15:23Judges, are you impressed? They love it. The new leader is Daniel Andre
0:15:23 > 0:15:35Tande. Green light, flagged down. Finally, a little bit of consistent
0:15:38 > 0:15:42action and Robert Johansson, makes his way down. What a jump! What a
0:15:42 > 0:15:51jump! And the aerodynamics on the moustache have paid off because that
0:15:51 > 0:15:56is a fantastic jump from Robert Johansson of Norway. He was only
0:15:56 > 0:16:0019th in qualifying and it didn't look like he was going to pull out
0:16:00 > 0:16:04much here at the winter-macro Olympics. He is the only member of
0:16:04 > 0:16:11the Norwegian team who
0:16:11 > 0:16:20the Norwegian team who doesn't have a World Cup title. Phenomenal jump.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25Disposed of the normal fist bumps. High five. Daniel Andre Tande knows
0:16:25 > 0:16:34he will be kicked out of the hot seat. Fabulous jump. 249.7. Robert
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Johansson into first place and we are starting to run out people to
0:16:37 > 0:16:44come.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49come. He is Rio Kobayashi, the youngest. It is good. Wasn't quite
0:16:49 > 0:16:55as far as it may be needed to be. But now, we are at the business end
0:16:55 > 0:16:59of this competition, the wind is letting us get a few jumps in and we
0:16:59 > 0:17:03are starting to feel the excitement of an Olympic final week always knew
0:17:03 > 0:17:08could go anyway.
0:17:08 > 0:17:14could go anyway. Good, straightforward.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18straightforward. Love the facial expression. Concentration. Taking in
0:17:18 > 0:17:26the scenery in front of him, it is a good jump, I don't know if it will
0:17:26 > 0:17:40be good enough. It is a good jump. His Olympic debut, his brother's
0:17:40 > 0:17:55Olympic debut. Into third for now. That unseats Simon Ammann, there
0:17:55 > 0:18:04will be no medal for suck a macro at the moment. Now, the surprise German
0:18:04 > 0:18:09sensation.
0:18:15 > 0:18:23Wow, he's taking this opportunity. Watch this jump. Good, solid jump.
0:18:23 > 0:18:32Not enough to get him into the medals. But he, as a 24-year-old,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36Karl Geiger, ranked 16th in the world and not expected to be
0:18:36 > 0:18:43operating at the top end, is having a great Olympics so far.
0:18:47 > 0:18:54a great Olympics so far. Distance of 105 metres on this jump. Couldn't
0:18:54 > 0:19:02see anything massively wrong from a judging point of view, it is just
0:19:02 > 0:19:08the distance. The scores are good, just the distance. Fourth place and
0:19:08 > 0:19:14he just misses out. Robert Johansson, gets to hang out in the
0:19:14 > 0:19:19hot seat.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23hot seat. Another German, he does have a major event form. Bronze
0:19:23 > 0:19:33medal at the World Championships last year. Again, it is wishing but
0:19:33 > 0:19:40it's not maybe enough. Another three or four metres on that we might have
0:19:40 > 0:19:48been talking. Going to be a little lower than he needed. We have had
0:19:48 > 0:19:52113.5, the distance from Robert Johansson and that is the target to
0:19:52 > 0:19:57beat at this point. If anyone goes above 113.5 at this point, they are
0:19:57 > 0:20:03probably going to get an Olympic medal, possibly gold. When you get
0:20:03 > 0:20:08to 106 like this with a bit of an iffy landing, it won't do it for
0:20:08 > 0:20:13Markus Eisenbichler.
0:20:14 > 0:20:22Markus Eisenbichler. Fourth place. Stefan Kraft, the world champion.
0:20:22 > 0:20:29World champion at both events, normal hill and large hell.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Phenomenal 2017. Has struggled this year. Now would be a very good time
0:20:33 > 0:20:41to come out of that. He has to wait for the wind. He would be the third
0:20:41 > 0:20:46Austrian to win an Olympic normal hill title, if he can pull out
0:20:46 > 0:20:49something fantastic when he gets the green light. They are hoping it
0:20:49 > 0:20:58happens. Still here, phenomenal from the fans. Well past midnight local
0:20:58 > 0:21:10time. All those delays, minus 12. Winter Olympics fans. So, we will
0:21:10 > 0:21:15wait for Stefan Kraft. People second when they held the World Cup on this
0:21:15 > 0:21:22hill a year ago as a test event. So he has form here as the world
0:21:22 > 0:21:27champion. He holds the ski flying world record. He once travelled
0:21:27 > 0:21:33253.5 metres in the air. Imagine that! We looking at just over 100
0:21:33 > 0:21:40metres on this hill, it is more than double the record he holds. Now he
0:21:40 > 0:21:46has the green light. What will we see here?
0:21:49 > 0:21:53see here? Again, it's not quite up there. He slaps his hands down onto
0:21:53 > 0:21:58his thighs and he knows the world champion will not become the Olympic
0:21:58 > 0:22:05champion. Not tonight, anyway. 103 metres on that jump and it's not
0:22:05 > 0:22:11going to be enough at that range. He can produce the most artistic,
0:22:11 > 0:22:17perfectly styled jump in the world, but it's not going to get you on the
0:22:17 > 0:22:24podium if you don't jump far enough. That is the reaction from the coach.
0:22:24 > 0:22:30Stefan Kraft, eighth place, that is a phenomenally disappointing jump.
0:22:30 > 0:22:39What did I tell you, it is not his season. We are running out of people
0:22:39 > 0:22:46who can unseat Robert Johansson.
0:22:46 > 0:22:52who can unseat Robert Johansson. One of them is Andreas Wellinger. This
0:22:52 > 0:22:57looks like it could be good. It is long. It looked like it might be
0:22:57 > 0:23:04golden.
0:23:05 > 0:23:12golden. 113.5, that is exactly the same distance as Robert Johansson.
0:23:12 > 0:23:18Andreas Wellinger held a 5-point advantage from the first round. As
0:23:18 > 0:23:22long as the judges don't see anything wrong with this and it
0:23:22 > 0:23:27looked good. Maybe Turkey next second two to get in there.
0:23:27 > 0:23:37Beautifully held. Coach is all in favour of that.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41favour of that. And Andreas Wellinger, I think is going to go
0:23:41 > 0:23:47first. There he is, first place. Andreas Wellinger, only has four
0:23:47 > 0:23:58more to watch. The first of which is his
0:23:58 > 0:24:06his team-mate, Richard Freitag. He is who the Germans but would win.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11Suddenly you have Andreas Wellinger to deal with. That is not going to
0:24:11 > 0:24:17push Andreas Wellinger off the top. Richard Freitag has looked so good,
0:24:17 > 0:24:23but in the last few weeks his form has evaporated. Don't get me wrong,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27it is still an exceptionally good jump, but the time he needed to push
0:24:27 > 0:24:32forward... In case you wonder where they measure the landing from, it is
0:24:32 > 0:24:36the midpoint of the fleet. If you land with your feet together, you
0:24:36 > 0:24:41measure from the boot laces. If you land with your feet apart, they
0:24:41 > 0:24:47measure between defeat. Richard Freitag, misses out on a medal and
0:24:47 > 0:24:54goes sixth. We have three athletes remaining.
0:25:03 > 0:25:12Johann Andre Forfang, 22 and all the pressure in the world.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17pressure in the world. Consistency has been his issue all along. He has
0:25:17 > 0:25:21beaten Kamil Stoch before, he knows how to win, even at this young age.
0:25:21 > 0:25:28He has the green light. Into the take-off. Launches forward, looking
0:25:28 > 0:25:34good. Has it got the land? It is good. It is good. Is it good enough?
0:25:34 > 0:25:43It might have fallen short. Might have fallen short.
0:25:43 > 0:25:49have fallen short. 109.5 metres. He had a 1-point advantage over Andreas
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Wellinger from the first round. I don't know if it is going to be
0:25:52 > 0:25:58enough. This is where your style points come in. It is possible to
0:25:58 > 0:26:03win with the jump not as far as your rivals if it looked better and the
0:26:03 > 0:26:07judges liked it more. It does happen before, it will happen again. You
0:26:07 > 0:26:16don't want to have to rely on it. It is second place, Johann Andre
0:26:16 > 0:26:22Forfang, 250.9. Andreas Wellinger has 295.3. So far out in front but
0:26:22 > 0:26:26now we have two incredible jumpers to come. Starting with the man
0:26:26 > 0:26:34defending his Olympic title, Kamil Stoch. 129.9 from the first round.
0:26:34 > 0:26:40He needs an even bigger jump now.
0:26:44 > 0:26:51He needs an even bigger jump now. I don't think he got it. I think
0:26:51 > 0:26:58Andreas Wellinger, might hang on to this. Kamil Stoch, had been looking
0:26:58 > 0:27:05to become the most successful Polish Winter Olympian in history. Just
0:27:05 > 0:27:10needed that one more gold medal to do it. Would have been the first
0:27:10 > 0:27:16athlete to win consecutive men's normal hill gold medals. I think, I
0:27:16 > 0:27:27think that won't be what he needs.
0:27:28 > 0:27:36That tells you that Andreas Wellinger thinks he has
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Wellinger thinks he has probably been made safe. There won't even be
0:27:38 > 0:27:42a medal for the defending Olympic champion. What an unpredictable
0:27:42 > 0:27:49sport this is and Andreas Wellinger knows he is one jump away, one jump
0:27:49 > 0:27:55from being an Olympic gold medallist. It is this man's jump,
0:27:55 > 0:28:03Stefan Hula, the Poland. Into the air. How long is it? Does it have
0:28:03 > 0:28:13the land? It is close. I don't think it is going to be enough. 105.5
0:28:13 > 0:28:20metres, surely not enough? They have to wait for the scores, Stefan Hula
0:28:20 > 0:28:26needed more. He had such a phenomenal job. Six, seven almost
0:28:26 > 0:28:35point lead from the first round. Did he need more?
0:28:37 > 0:28:42he need more? The form looks good all the way down, almost motionless.
0:28:42 > 0:28:48It is a fine landing as well. But is the distance enough? I don't know
0:28:48 > 0:28:53that it is.
0:28:54 > 0:29:04that it is. It is nowhere near enough, Stefan Hula is fifth. 248.8.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08And your Olympic champion is Germany's Andreas Wellinger.
0:29:08 > 0:29:13Everyone thought his team-mate Richard Freitag would be the gold
0:29:13 > 0:29:21medallist. He said, I don't mind the pressure and he came back and back
0:29:21 > 0:29:27again with phenomenal jumps. And he is your Pyeongchang 2018 men's
0:29:27 > 0:29:33normal hill Olympic champion, the first German to do that since the
0:29:33 > 0:29:39mid-19 90s.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41From the steep hill at the ski jumping to the
0:29:41 > 0:29:42relative flat of the cross-country course
0:29:42 > 0:29:44and the women's skiathlon.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47One British entry here with Annika Taylor going in her first
0:29:47 > 0:29:49Olympics but all eyes will be on Norway's Marit Bjorgen.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53She has twn medals to her name already and just one more
0:29:53 > 0:30:01would make her the most successful woman in Winter Olympic history.
0:30:08 > 0:30:14COMMENTATOR: Stunning condition at the Alpensia cross-country is being
0:30:14 > 0:30:17sent down you're so excited about the first instalment of drama and I
0:30:17 > 0:30:21know these world-class women are itching to get going. Heidi Weng,
0:30:21 > 0:30:27leading the World Cup standings, losing has second consecutive Tour
0:30:27 > 0:30:33de Ski but still searching for her maiden global individual gold.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36Charlotte Kalla is the master peaking at right time, she has raced
0:30:36 > 0:30:39sparingly this year and she will be feeling fresh, and Marit Bjoergen
0:30:39 > 0:30:45has only lost one global skiathlon raced 2009, three years ago, and she
0:30:45 > 0:30:50looks poised, composed and ready. So, two different techniques, the
0:30:50 > 0:30:55real test of the all-rounder. And the first race for gold is underway
0:30:55 > 0:31:00in Pyeongchang. Is it destined to be a moment of history for Marit
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Bjoergen, the defending champion, the reigning world champion, or can
0:31:03 > 0:31:09one of the others deny the six time Winter Olympic champion the glory
0:31:09 > 0:31:16that she so desires to start with committee? So many races to unfold.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20So much to look forward to and are delighted to be joined by Ollie
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Williams, his third Winter Olympic Games for the BBC but his first
0:31:23 > 0:31:28looking forward to the cross-country and we have been itching for these
0:31:28 > 0:31:32days to take down, haven't we? Now we can forget about the stats and
0:31:32 > 0:31:35get on with watching were class-action.We've been bouncing
0:31:35 > 0:31:39off the walls for this to get started, what a phenomenal setting
0:31:39 > 0:31:44for these races, what a phenomenal race to start with. We have 7.5
0:31:44 > 0:31:48kilometres of plastic which is what we are skiing right now and then a
0:31:48 > 0:31:53pit stop, where you switch, and then 7.5 kilometres along the same course
0:31:53 > 0:31:57of skate scheme to the finish. Marit Bjoergen, obviously the headline,
0:31:57 > 0:32:02everyone wants to know, not only can she be the number one female Winter
0:32:02 > 0:32:06Olympian of all time, she's not that far off being the number one Winter
0:32:06 > 0:32:09Olympian of all time, male or female, she could do it with a bit
0:32:09 > 0:32:13of effort at these games and we have seen she is a multiple gold
0:32:13 > 0:32:20medallist whenever she turned up. But any Norwegian here, a couple of
0:32:20 > 0:32:24sweet, we use all Krista Parmakoski Finland, pushed her close and could
0:32:24 > 0:32:27well do that again today and even Jessie Diggins from the USA, you
0:32:27 > 0:32:32have got five or six candidates that could potentially beat her to the
0:32:32 > 0:32:35finish line.Alongside Ollie Williams and a fascinated observer
0:32:35 > 0:32:40for this one is Posey Musgrave, Winter Olympian in Sochi four years
0:32:40 > 0:32:44ago, you know what it takes to compete alongside and against some
0:32:44 > 0:32:48of these women. Put into context in these very early stages as we look
0:32:48 > 0:32:55at the back and number ten, put into context what Marit Bjoergen has
0:32:55 > 0:33:03already achieved in the sport and how incredible it would be if she
0:33:03 > 0:33:07produces a medal of any colour and moves to 11 Winter in a big medal.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10Ollie has said it already, what we think about her in the sport, she's
0:33:10 > 0:33:14one of the greatest performers with ever had. She is 37 now, she's been
0:33:14 > 0:33:18at the top of the game for about 15 years and it is such a tough sport,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21it is incredible to be competing at such a high level for such a long
0:33:21 > 0:33:27time. She has shown year after year at the top level when it really
0:33:27 > 0:33:32matters and I'm excited to see what you can do today.That's an
0:33:32 > 0:33:35important point because she knows what to do on the big day and she
0:33:35 > 0:33:38knows her body well enough now that she does not need to raise as much
0:33:38 > 0:33:42as some of our rivals. We have not really seen her since the end of
0:33:42 > 0:33:45last year, she finished fifth in one race when she had a bit of a cold
0:33:45 > 0:33:49and was not necessarily on top form but she does not necessarily need to
0:33:49 > 0:33:52be doing it the whole time and it is a very different approach and
0:33:52 > 0:33:56build-up she taking into a race like this compared to some of the younger
0:33:56 > 0:34:02Norwegians, the Swedes try to get at her heels.Posey, give us your view
0:34:02 > 0:34:06on the skiathlon, in the old days, it was Colby combined pursuit at it
0:34:06 > 0:34:10is the all-rounder's test because the first half of the race is
0:34:10 > 0:34:14classical, in the tracks and then as Ollie mentioned, we have a
0:34:14 > 0:34:18transition area and T20 really fast circuits of freestyle. This is a
0:34:18 > 0:34:21really tough test because if you favour classical, you might look
0:34:21 > 0:34:26impressive early on, somebody like Christina Kowalczyk, who is arguably
0:34:26 > 0:34:31past their best dab but you can't just be good in one, you got to be
0:34:31 > 0:34:36good in both.Absolutely and ideal that some people say it favours the
0:34:36 > 0:34:38skate specialists because it comes second so if you can hang with the
0:34:38 > 0:34:42pack, you have a chance to push the pace in that section and be at the
0:34:42 > 0:34:45front when it counts at the finish but regardless, if you can't hang
0:34:45 > 0:34:49with the pace in the classic section, it does not matter so you
0:34:49 > 0:34:56have to be a good all-rounder.If you while Charlotte Kalla, somebody
0:34:56 > 0:35:01looking to stop Marit Bjoergen with somebody like Charlotte Kalla's
0:35:01 > 0:35:06pedigree, we know she is phenomenal, I don't know if your member Sochi in
0:35:06 > 0:35:092014, Charlotte Kalla was the one who delivered the incredible relay
0:35:09 > 0:35:14finish and came over the line in one of the moments of the Games. With
0:35:14 > 0:35:19her tools, how do you beat Marit Bjoergen there? Do you go hard to
0:35:19 > 0:35:23start? Do you try to stretch of the race? What can you do?I'm not sure
0:35:23 > 0:35:26anyone has got the answer which is why she has been so successful,
0:35:26 > 0:35:30Marit Bjoergen is often pushing the pace, but at the moment, we can see
0:35:30 > 0:35:34she's further towards the back, she's often at the front,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37controlling the pace so it is so hard to do either way, if it comes
0:35:37 > 0:35:40to a sprint finish, she has got a great sprint and she can beat
0:35:40 > 0:35:44everyone right at the end but she can also push the pace and spring
0:35:44 > 0:35:48out the pack early.Charlotte Kalla is a hugely popular figure in
0:35:48 > 0:35:52Sweden, she comes from a tiny town right up in Arctic Circle.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56Interesting as well that she has decided to do this year exactly what
0:35:56 > 0:36:01she did ahead of Sochi. She's barely raised at all since Christmas. She
0:36:01 > 0:36:07will be arriving here fresh. In contrast to somebody like Heidi
0:36:07 > 0:36:13Weng, who although brilliantly won a second consecutive Tour de ki, she
0:36:13 > 0:36:16has race literally everywhere and surely with a set of events like
0:36:16 > 0:36:20this, coming in a bit fresh has got to be helpful for Charlotte Kalla
0:36:20 > 0:36:25and it is a proven tactic that works for her and did so brilliantly in
0:36:25 > 0:36:29Russia.It did really well for Heron Rush and we have seen the same in
0:36:29 > 0:36:32some of the World Championships, she had a home World Championships in
0:36:32 > 0:36:37Sweden in 2015 and you do the same then. We did not see much of her
0:36:37 > 0:36:40before but she won gold in front of the home crowd so she knows it works
0:36:40 > 0:36:43for her and it's important that you know what you winning strategy is an
0:36:43 > 0:36:47stick with it so there is no point in her raising too much when she
0:36:47 > 0:36:51knows it works without that.Just a clarification, Charlotte Kalla is on
0:36:51 > 0:36:55the left of the picture, now in the centre but on the left-hand tracks,
0:36:55 > 0:37:00wearing number five. Number one is Heidi Weng, the World Cup leader. I
0:37:00 > 0:37:05noticed towards the front of the group, Justin Kowalczyk, wearing 22,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08a good performer when it comes to the classical. A Winter Olympic
0:37:08 > 0:37:14champion in her own right. Arguably perhaps just a touch past their best
0:37:14 > 0:37:18and Marit Bjoergen quite happy wearing number eight to be in the
0:37:18 > 0:37:26pack. There's a long way to go here. The pack looking fairly close
0:37:26 > 0:37:31together as we come to the first checkpoint, two point 26 kilometres.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35We can see the first 20 people still within ten seconds of each other. It
0:37:35 > 0:37:38has not strung out too much and we can see that happening potentially
0:37:38 > 0:37:44as we get onto the second lap. Two loops of 3.75 kilometres in the
0:37:44 > 0:37:49classic style before they move over. Right, there are some very technical
0:37:49 > 0:37:53elements to cross-country, it is not as simple as it looks. For those
0:37:53 > 0:37:56people who may be watching cross-country skiing for the first
0:37:56 > 0:38:00time, give us the layman's guide to the waxing because although it might
0:38:00 > 0:38:04sound like a boring subject, it was a vital subject in Sochi because
0:38:04 > 0:38:09despite all the resources that the Norwegian team have got, at their
0:38:09 > 0:38:12disposal, they got their waxing very wrong in the first few races in
0:38:12 > 0:38:17Sochi and it was almost a national outcry. Give us the insider guide as
0:38:17 > 0:38:23to what is important with wax and why.They did indeed and waxing can
0:38:23 > 0:38:26win or lose you the race which is frustrating when you put in all the
0:38:26 > 0:38:33training and you are still relying on your skis at the end of the day
0:38:33 > 0:38:36but there's a lot to it. First, you have glide wax which makes you go
0:38:36 > 0:38:39fast downhill so that is about speed and glide and in the classic style,
0:38:39 > 0:38:42what they are doing now, you have kick wax so in the centre of your
0:38:42 > 0:38:46ski, you have a kick wax zone where you apply the wax and as you
0:38:46 > 0:38:50compress it, it gives you the push to get you up the hill, one thing
0:38:50 > 0:38:53you have to think about is getting the balance between kicking and
0:38:53 > 0:38:56gliding so you need to be able to get up the hill but you want to go
0:38:56 > 0:39:06downhill quickly as well. There's an awful to think about and on top of
0:39:06 > 0:39:09that, you have do have a good set of skis to be waxing.Lot happens
0:39:09 > 0:39:11behind this keys Vilhete magazines which is decisive in terms of
0:39:11 > 0:39:14getting the athletes to the start line and in shape where they can
0:39:14 > 0:39:18win. This week, the Swedish coaching team has had a struggle with narrow
0:39:18 > 0:39:22virus and even if it takes 0.5% of someone like Charlotte Kalla or
0:39:22 > 0:39:27Stina Nilsson, who has an outside chance of doing something here, that
0:39:27 > 0:39:30disruption is big news, headline news in Sweden all week. But still,
0:39:30 > 0:39:34the Swedish press are saying if ever there was a chance for Charlotte
0:39:34 > 0:39:40Kalla to win an Olympic skiathlon, today's the day.It definitely could
0:39:40 > 0:39:43be her day but still too early to tell. I think we will find out as
0:39:43 > 0:39:48the race progresses, still a good 20 people in the front pack so let's
0:39:48 > 0:39:51see how it goes. I think she could do really well today. I've got good
0:39:51 > 0:39:59feelings for her.The first four circuits completed. It is 3.75
0:39:59 > 0:40:06kilometres twice in classical and then we have a transition zone, it
0:40:06 > 0:40:10is not quite like a triangle and if you are fond of these swim, bike and
0:40:10 > 0:40:13run but it's important to get in and out as quickly as possible. A big
0:40:13 > 0:40:21group altogether. Nobody has been dropped. The cameras focusing on the
0:40:21 > 0:40:25was ninth on the last climb on the Tour de Ski, dropping back of the
0:40:25 > 0:40:28big group and everybody else seems as though they are very much still
0:40:28 > 0:40:37in touch. We have almost had 50 going through, 62 in total.When we
0:40:37 > 0:40:40see 60 comes through, 62 is Annika Taylor. She's the British contender
0:40:40 > 0:40:47we have, used to be... Born in California, her father is British
0:40:47 > 0:40:51and she has been part of the British team since 2013, I believe and you
0:40:51 > 0:40:54overlapped with our remit but give us a flavour of what the experience
0:40:54 > 0:40:58will be like for her.We did just overlapped and she will have a
0:40:58 > 0:41:02similar experience to me in Sochi, her first date of racing in the big
0:41:02 > 0:41:05games and it's different to any other racing so you might have
0:41:05 > 0:41:08raised at the World Championship or the World Cup but the Olympic stage
0:41:08 > 0:41:12is different, there's more exposure, interest and people watching. I hope
0:41:12 > 0:41:15she can really take some positive experiences away from this.
0:41:15 > 0:41:20Hopefully we will see some good things from her.Look at this. OK,
0:41:20 > 0:41:24it is not a definitive bid for gold but it shows you how confident she
0:41:24 > 0:41:29is feeling, bearing in mind she was a bit below form as we mentioned,
0:41:29 > 0:41:34only fifth in the last World Cup race before coming here. This is a
0:41:34 > 0:41:37really confident piece of front skiing from Marit Bjoergen.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41Charlotte Kalla right behind her. One of the duels we were looking
0:41:41 > 0:41:46forward to. Heidi Weng is in third, Hurst Berg in fourth, wearing number
0:41:46 > 0:41:52two and a skier I to you is Ebba Andersson of Sweden, really young,
0:41:52 > 0:41:59world junior skiathlon silver last year and fifth, her best ever
0:41:59 > 0:42:03placing in the senior World Cup race, she's definitely one to watch,
0:42:03 > 0:42:06wearing 18 on the left and a bit of a slip but she is an exciting
0:42:06 > 0:42:10prospect. We were not really talking about before the race budgies in the
0:42:10 > 0:42:15place to keep track of the moves at the moment.Absolutely, she's nicely
0:42:15 > 0:42:18positioned at the front and she's a really exciting talent was in.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Charlotte Kalla coming to the end of her career, they might be looking
0:42:21 > 0:42:25for the next big star and Ebba Andersson could be it. She was
0:42:25 > 0:42:29talented at a very young age. You mentioned the world junior medals
0:42:29 > 0:42:32and she medalled the year before and she went to the world Juniors three
0:42:32 > 0:42:36times which is very unusual and because of the age, each year makes
0:42:36 > 0:42:39a big difference in your development yet three years before the final
0:42:39 > 0:42:43year, she was up there and competing to the top places.Charlotte Kalla
0:42:43 > 0:42:49coming to the end of our great, but Marit Bjoergen is almost dead yet,
0:42:49 > 0:42:51how exceptional is it for Marit Bjoergen to still be competing at
0:42:51 > 0:42:57this level at that age? Mavuba we could see Charlotte Kalla for a few
0:42:57 > 0:43:01more Olympics yet but it's partly about motivation, this is an
0:43:01 > 0:43:03endurance sport like marathon running where people get better as
0:43:03 > 0:43:06they get older and there's every possibility that as long as you are
0:43:06 > 0:43:09injury free and you train well, you can compete and be competitive in
0:43:09 > 0:43:18your 30s. They head down towards the transition area. OK, do these
0:43:18 > 0:43:23cross-country skiers practice transition as the triathletes do?
0:43:23 > 0:43:26The triathlete's mantra is you are never going to win a race with
0:43:26 > 0:43:29transition but you could cause yourself problems. If it was a
0:43:29 > 0:43:35mindset here?Absolutely, it is not something people will spend weeks
0:43:35 > 0:43:38and weeks or hours of practice on but when you have a big event coming
0:43:38 > 0:43:44up, you will make sure you put it in a few sessions. It is easy to do
0:43:44 > 0:43:47something, to incorporate it into an interval session, you could do half
0:43:47 > 0:43:51of an interval one technique and changing over so you are practising
0:43:51 > 0:43:55out of competition which is important.In an ideal world, how
0:43:55 > 0:44:00long should the transition date for each of the world-class women?
0:44:00 > 0:44:03Already as they have come past the back line, they were able to start
0:44:03 > 0:44:09skating and they are taking the poles off so they can unclip their
0:44:09 > 0:44:14skis, clip into the other skis, pick up the new poles and move out so
0:44:14 > 0:44:19they should be in the box for no more than ten seconds.Jessica
0:44:19 > 0:44:23Diggins wearing number three, there. And now we get into the second half
0:44:23 > 0:44:28of the race, classical finished for the first 15 or so of these
0:44:28 > 0:44:33cross-country skiers. I wonder how long we will wait before the big
0:44:33 > 0:44:42move comes as to muck it is a
0:44:42 > 0:44:44move comes as to muck it is a shame for Ragnhild Haga. Her uncle
0:44:44 > 0:44:47represented the way cross-country in 1980 but she will have to work to
0:44:47 > 0:44:51close the gap on the leading group. She tends to be slightly stronger in
0:44:51 > 0:44:54the freestyle that we have moved onto so she's not totally out of it
0:44:54 > 0:44:58but she will have to work really hard to get back up to the front.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01The danger is as well that if you work too hard to get up to the front
0:45:01 > 0:45:05back, you burn the matches by the time you get there and then if
0:45:05 > 0:45:07anyone in a front group makes a move, you've nothing left to go with
0:45:07 > 0:45:15them so it is a dangerous position to be in.
0:45:15 > 0:45:27One skier we haven't mentioned is Natalie Gnabry Ava. She is only 21,
0:45:27 > 0:45:31she is an Olympic athlete representing Russia and she is right
0:45:31 > 0:45:36up to Charlotte Kalla in second place. We can already see a group of
0:45:36 > 0:45:41seven or eight just beginning to pull away. I wonder at what stage we
0:45:41 > 0:45:46might start to see a big move?The little gap is starting to emerge on
0:45:46 > 0:45:51the right of your picture, we have a group of nine with maybe a couple
0:45:51 > 0:45:55hanging on to the coat-tails. It looks like we are starting to get
0:45:55 > 0:46:00this main pack that may be the winner will come from.You have the
0:46:00 > 0:46:08two Swedish athletes and then you have three or even four from Norway.
0:46:08 > 0:46:18But Charlotte Kalla
0:46:18 > 0:46:19But Charlotte Kalla followed by Andersson, who is having a fantastic
0:46:19 > 0:46:26race. At what stage do you expect and moved to come if they are going
0:46:26 > 0:46:38to give themselves the best possible chance of beating Bjoergen?We don't
0:46:38 > 0:46:49tend to see this very often in the women's races.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51women's races. They were crawling over the top of the hill and I think
0:46:51 > 0:46:56someone soon will make a move.Is it a case of someone forcing themselves
0:46:56 > 0:47:03to be brave?I think so, some of them here know they are not as
0:47:03 > 0:47:09strong when it comes to the Sprint finishes and will have to push the
0:47:09 > 0:47:17pace.
0:47:17 > 0:47:26pace. Stadlober, she doesn't have a very strong sprint finish.This is
0:47:26 > 0:47:33gearing up to be a great last lap. Bjoergen, Kante 's history but there
0:47:33 > 0:47:38are plenty of women still in touch who want to deny her this golden
0:47:38 > 0:47:46opportunity to become the greatest of all time.Still got Stadlober in
0:47:46 > 0:47:49that pack, Heidi Weng of the back as well.There are five or six people
0:47:49 > 0:47:57who have the pedigree to make this their own. But they are up against
0:47:57 > 0:48:03someone in Bjoergen, who has done it time and time again. The last two
0:48:03 > 0:48:07Olympic ski at once, she has fended off everybody. It must play on the
0:48:07 > 0:48:13minds of the rest of the pack. What would Bjoergen do, what should I be
0:48:13 > 0:48:20doing now?Absolutely, she will be hard to beat in the final sprint. I
0:48:20 > 0:48:25think she still has something in the tank. She has got to be feeling very
0:48:25 > 0:48:32confident as they go into the last lap of the course.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40lap of the course.Von Siebenthal is there and so is Jessica Diggins.
0:48:40 > 0:48:45Charlotte
0:48:48 > 0:48:59Charlotte Calor and Andersson, can she upstage her compatriot?
0:48:59 > 0:49:01she upstage her compatriot? It is just about to get very, very
0:49:01 > 0:49:07interesting. Marriage B Hogan has not had this race all to herself and
0:49:07 > 0:49:10there are women here who can genuinely put her under pressure in
0:49:10 > 0:49:17the closing stages. But how brave are they willing to be and how will
0:49:17 > 0:49:20they have to push on the steep hill coming into the stadium at the end
0:49:20 > 0:49:31of this loop?And you mention Andersson, it is hard to
0:49:31 > 0:49:42underestimate the rivalry. You see Charlotte Kalla coming ahead and
0:49:42 > 0:49:47moving forward. Sweden would love to take this opening medal.They have
0:49:47 > 0:49:54never won the combined pursuit, as it has been called. Two silver
0:49:54 > 0:50:00medals. Charlotte Kalla, came in here really fresh. Von Siebenthal is
0:50:00 > 0:50:05still in there.
0:50:07 > 0:50:15still in there. There is Bjoergen in third
0:50:15 > 0:50:20third place with Parmakoski just behind her. This is a bold move from
0:50:20 > 0:50:25Charlotte Kalla. She is already an Olympic champion in the ten
0:50:25 > 0:50:30kilometre and the team sprint. Can she do it today?This is a big move
0:50:30 > 0:50:39by Charlotte Kalla. Bjoergen, played it badly. Is she going to be able to
0:50:39 > 0:50:42make the gap up? This is a big move by Charlotte Kalla and she will put
0:50:42 > 0:50:47her foot down to the top of this hill.These are the hills that will
0:50:47 > 0:50:52separate the pack. Charlotte Kalla, the Swedish fans have been saying,
0:50:52 > 0:50:57this is her time. If she is going to win the Olympic gold medal, it has
0:50:57 > 0:51:02got to be today, the conditions are in her favour, the snow is in her
0:51:02 > 0:51:07favour. It all plays into what she likes. There is no dominant force
0:51:07 > 0:51:11this season. Charlotte Kalla, that is a sizeable gap and we don't have
0:51:11 > 0:51:16long left to go in this at all. Bjoergen will have to do something
0:51:16 > 0:51:20special. She only has four seconds on the grid, but four seconds can
0:51:20 > 0:51:28mean an awful lot here. That is really big, what she has just done.
0:51:28 > 0:51:34Charlotte Kalla, has taken it to the iron Lady. Bjoergen can still make
0:51:34 > 0:51:42history. Charlotte Kalla has been brave, she has raced smart and she
0:51:42 > 0:51:47has got this race at the moment, I would say a little bit busy in, that
0:51:47 > 0:51:52shot, but the Swedish fans in the stadium are getting ready to be
0:51:52 > 0:52:01very, very excited. It is not just Charlotte Kalla, the youngster,
0:52:01 > 0:52:08Andersson is also in the mix. We only have one Norwegian in the top
0:52:08 > 0:52:16three. There is Bjoergen, with Andersson, the other Swede right
0:52:16 > 0:52:21behind her.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25behind her.Look at this hill. Charlotte Kalla is already loved in
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Sweden, she is emotional and says what she thinks. She is someone but
0:52:28 > 0:52:34people really warmed to in terms of the way she reacts. As she surges
0:52:34 > 0:52:39appear, she's not only potentially going to win the gold medal, she
0:52:39 > 0:52:44will become the first Swedish woman to be a three-time Olympic gold
0:52:44 > 0:52:47medallist in Cross-Country Skiing. She would put herself even further
0:52:47 > 0:52:53out there as a national hero if she can take this goal.They are really
0:52:53 > 0:52:59working hard as they go up this hill. They were taking it easy, now
0:52:59 > 0:53:06this is 100% working as hard as you can and work as hard as you can.
0:53:06 > 0:53:12Bjoergen won't give up until the end.If she makes up this now, if
0:53:12 > 0:53:17she makes this up and wins this gold medal it will confirm her as the
0:53:17 > 0:53:22greatest female Cross-Country Skiing of all time, to do that?It would be
0:53:22 > 0:53:29very special, Charlotte Kalla is no slouch. Bjoergen is an incredible
0:53:29 > 0:53:33competitor. I know her and I know she will not give up. She still
0:53:33 > 0:53:38believes she can do it.It is getting tight for second and third
0:53:38 > 0:53:49because we know Bjoergen's class.
0:53:49 > 0:53:55Parmakoski is there. Surely now with the gap as it is, unless there is an
0:53:55 > 0:54:00absolutely huge move up the brutal hill coming into the stadium from
0:54:00 > 0:54:08Bjoergen, this looks very much like it could be a winning lead.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12Bjoergen, 37 years of age. She has got the class to close the gap but
0:54:12 > 0:54:17if she is going to close it, she has got to do something now. Charlotte
0:54:17 > 0:54:21Kalla will be hurting. She was brave and bold and she will be starting to
0:54:21 > 0:54:26feel this and Bjoergen may come under pressure from the Finnish
0:54:26 > 0:54:31athlete who pushed her so close to the world title last year. There is
0:54:31 > 0:54:41Bjoergen, number eight. Parmakoski, seven.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46seven. Bjoergen has got to find something here. She still could
0:54:46 > 0:54:51produce history. Any medal will make the greatest on her own of all time.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54You mentioned about the history would Charlotte Kalla. If she wins
0:54:54 > 0:55:00the medal here, she will be joined with Anya Pearson, the Alpine Skiing
0:55:00 > 0:55:08as the greatest
0:55:08 > 0:55:14as the greatest Swedish athlete. Surely this is too much, even the
0:55:14 > 0:55:21Swagger.I think she has let it go too much. This is too little too
0:55:21 > 0:55:24late for her. I think Charlotte Kalla has skied a perfect race
0:55:24 > 0:55:31today. Bjoergen, not having it her own way. Parmakoski is hard on her
0:55:31 > 0:55:38heels. Bjoergen has had to work so hard to close the gap to Charlotte
0:55:38 > 0:55:43Kalla that she might not have the sprint finish in her.You can see
0:55:43 > 0:55:47that Parmakoski, it shows that Parmakoski is finding it easy enough
0:55:47 > 0:55:53to stay in contention with Bjoergen. If Bjoergen had something in her to
0:55:53 > 0:55:56do something about this right now, surely Parmakoski wouldn't be able
0:55:56 > 0:56:04to stay as close as she is. Charlotte Kalla has raised superbly.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08Ebba Andersson, just out of the medals at the moment, but this will
0:56:08 > 0:56:15be a sweet moment for Charlotte Calor. The grimmest will turn to
0:56:15 > 0:56:21smile. She is going to secure the first gold the 2018 Winter Olympics
0:56:21 > 0:56:28here in Pyeongchang. I really big effort from Parmakoski to try to
0:56:28 > 0:56:33close down Bjoergen. There will be his chief of the Norwegian today,
0:56:33 > 0:56:39but not the position to which he has grown accustomed. Charlotte Kalla,
0:56:39 > 0:56:43Sweden's golden girl has delivered the performance of her life. Bold,
0:56:43 > 0:56:50brave and it is she who becomes the Winter Olympic champion. History is
0:56:50 > 0:56:54secured for Marit Bjoergen and she is right to celebrate her silver
0:56:54 > 0:56:59medal. Makes her the most decorated female Winter Olympian in history
0:56:59 > 0:57:02and she will have other chances for goal. Parmakoski did her best to put
0:57:02 > 0:57:08the Norwegian and the Swede under pressure. She completes the podium
0:57:08 > 0:57:13after the silver last year, it is bronze this time. Marit Bjoergen has
0:57:13 > 0:57:18created headlines on history, but so too has Sweden's Charlotte Kalla.
0:57:18 > 0:57:26What a race and what a performance. Charlotte Kalla has been phenomenal.
0:57:26 > 0:57:32We expected this to be a relatively close race, if not very, very close.
0:57:32 > 0:57:36We have seen these races decided by one second or less. You watch
0:57:36 > 0:57:43Charlotte Kalla accelerate away. That was the perfect start to her
0:57:43 > 0:57:48Olympics, Sweden's Olympics. Half of Scandinavia right now will be going
0:57:48 > 0:57:54Postal over the event they have seen. That was a dominance, dominant
0:57:54 > 0:57:55win.
0:57:55 > 0:58:02That's all from us for now.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05We'll be back tomorrow on BBC Four at the same time with highlights
0:58:05 > 0:58:07from the team figure skating.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09And our live coverage of the Winter Olympics continues
0:58:09 > 0:58:12over on BBC1 at 11:50pm as we build up to arguably the most
0:58:12 > 0:58:15exciting event of any Games, the men's downhill.
0:58:15 > 0:58:21The downhill run about 1.5 miles in length and a drop of 2000 feet.The
0:58:21 > 0:58:29men's Downhill promises to be a race that could make Olympic history.
0:58:31 > 0:58:34that could make Olympic history.The only way to win this is to take a
0:58:34 > 0:58:45huge amount of risk.Bill Johnson, the all-American boy.
0:58:46 > 0:58:47the all-American boy.You are watching the greatest ski racer in
0:58:47 > 0:59:00the world and he is doing it again. He is going to win the gold.