Day 1, Part 4

0:00:41 > 0:00:43After a spectacular and beautiful Opening Ceremony, where peace and

0:00:43 > 0:00:48unity were the central themes, Pyeongchang has been humming to the

0:00:48 > 0:00:52sound of live sports, and dealt there they are into the evening

0:00:52 > 0:00:56sessions of the ice hockey, luge and short track speed skating.

0:00:56 > 0:01:01Welcome to the first day of the full competition at the 23rd Winter

0:01:01 > 0:01:05Olympic Games, the first gold medal has been awarded to Sweden!

0:01:05 > 0:01:12Yesterday, a world record was set for the number of drones used in

0:01:12 > 0:01:16live-action, 1218 of them. Now thousands are heading into the

0:01:16 > 0:01:24mountains and coastal venues to enjoy live sport and

0:01:24 > 0:01:26enjoy live sport and Great Britain's major chance of golden glory.

0:01:26 > 0:01:28The person who could provide it gets her campaign underway today, she is

0:01:28 > 0:01:30a world champion, three times, a world record holder and ranked

0:01:30 > 0:01:34number one in the world but so far, Elise Christie has only felt the

0:01:34 > 0:01:40cold edge of disappointment at the Olympic Games...

0:01:40 > 0:01:49I love the ice. When I am on the ice, I am free. At the Olympics, it

0:01:49 > 0:01:57is quite nerve-racking. Before the gun goes off, I go

0:01:57 > 0:02:01straight to the line and stand there. I can do this. I will do

0:02:01 > 0:02:10this. From that moment the gun goes off,

0:02:10 > 0:02:14you have to be fighting. Every race is quite aggressive.

0:02:14 > 0:02:22Speed... Movement... Power... On the edge. It is so hard

0:02:22 > 0:02:29to move, because you are skating at 35 miles an hour. Sometimes, you get

0:02:29 > 0:02:38it right. Sometimes, I really don't. When you cross the line, it is the

0:02:38 > 0:02:42biggest relief you ever feel in your life. You have to really race to win

0:02:42 > 0:02:46in this sport. The only colour I really want is gold. I'm going to

0:02:46 > 0:02:53give it my all to win it.

0:02:53 > 0:02:53And

0:02:53 > 0:02:58And this is Elise Christie come out on the ice, getting herself moving

0:02:58 > 0:02:59and preparing for the challenges ahead.

0:02:59 > 0:03:03Qualification for the 500 metres event, she holds the world record

0:03:03 > 0:03:06there. Coming up before 11am.

0:03:06 > 0:03:09South Korea is the short track speed Skating capital of the world.

0:03:09 > 0:03:14Their most successful Winter Olympic sport, that place will be packed.

0:03:14 > 0:03:20It will be noisy and exciting. Getting excited on our half, Sarah

0:03:20 > 0:03:21Lindsay,

0:03:21 > 0:03:22Getting excited on our half, Sarah Lindsay, John Healey, he did the

0:03:22 > 0:03:26same and carried the flag four Izaguirre, and Amy Williams, she

0:03:26 > 0:03:33will be our expert on that. Sarah, you were saying that you are

0:03:33 > 0:03:38nervous?I feel I'm getting ready to compete myself! It's a little

0:03:38 > 0:03:45between myself feeling it, getting those old feelings back, moving into

0:03:45 > 0:03:54being Elise 's nervous month!John, you are feeling confident about

0:03:54 > 0:03:59this?I've seen their preparation and how hard the team have worked

0:03:59 > 0:04:01behind, and more than happy that they will put in a good performance

0:04:01 > 0:04:05this morning. It is about qualification for Elise.

0:04:05 > 0:04:11And we have a medal contender in the 1500 too.

0:04:11 > 0:04:15Amy, we will talk about the Sliding Centre in a moment, you want to get

0:04:15 > 0:04:20in touch with us, use the hashtag BBC Olympics, if you have questions,

0:04:20 > 0:04:24comments or if you want to know more about the competitors, the sports,

0:04:24 > 0:04:27the venues, what these guys have been up to.

0:04:27 > 0:04:35Here's what we have coming up over the next few hours...

0:04:35 > 0:04:40All eyes are on Elise as the ice Queen begins her Olympic campaign in

0:04:40 > 0:04:45the 500 metres. She's the world record-holder.

0:04:45 > 0:04:48Team-mate and friend Charlotte Gilmartin is also trying to get

0:04:48 > 0:04:52through to the quarterfinals. She is in heat eight.

0:04:52 > 0:04:57The first gold of the short track will be won in the 1500 metres where

0:04:57 > 0:05:01Canada's Charles Hamlin is the defending champion.

0:05:01 > 0:05:08Joe Mennie's Felix Locke is a legend of the luge, going for his third

0:05:08 > 0:05:16consecutive title -- Germany's. And, flying into the air with the

0:05:16 > 0:05:22utmost grace, Stoch defends his title on the normal hill for Poland.

0:05:22 > 0:05:26We have the smoking barrels of the biathlon too, live on the red

0:05:26 > 0:05:30button... Obviously a lot of things are happening at the same time. We

0:05:30 > 0:05:35will be hopping to the best of the action, bringing it to you. Coming

0:05:35 > 0:05:41up, we have the men's luge.

0:05:52 > 0:05:57At midday, we will be switching to BBC Two. If you want to follow the

0:05:57 > 0:06:05live action on the red button, that is continuous. The defending

0:06:05 > 0:06:09champion Hamelin is about to go. Live on the red button. We will be

0:06:09 > 0:06:13getting over there for the best of it all. Time for the headlines on

0:06:13 > 0:06:15day one...

0:06:18 > 0:06:22The opening morning of the Winter Olympics has brought disappointment

0:06:22 > 0:06:26for one of Britain's medal hopes, snowboarder Jamie Nicholls failed to

0:06:26 > 0:06:32get through the qualifying for the men's slopestyle. And it was a

0:06:32 > 0:06:38similar story for his British team-mates Billy Morgan, who exited

0:06:38 > 0:06:46the men's slopestyle after the opening stage.

0:06:49 > 0:06:50Norway's cross-country skier Marit Bjorgen became the most decorated

0:06:50 > 0:06:56female Winter Olympian ever with a record 11th medal, a silver in the

0:06:56 > 0:06:59skiathlon. Sweden's Charlotte Kalla took the gold medal, the first of

0:06:59 > 0:07:04these games.

0:07:04 > 0:07:08Sarah and John, let's talk about Elise Christie. First, the mental

0:07:08 > 0:07:13side, how much do you think she has changed in the last four years?In

0:07:13 > 0:07:18the last Olympics, she was absolutely, without question, good

0:07:18 > 0:07:21enough to win medals. We know that everything went wrong for her. She

0:07:21 > 0:07:28is too good. Too good not to now. She's been at the top of her game,

0:07:28 > 0:07:32experienced at going out into major championships and winning. In the

0:07:32 > 0:07:38last Olympics, it was all a bit new to her.And John, physically, how is

0:07:38 > 0:07:45she different as an athlete?She has really moved on, and as you said,

0:07:45 > 0:07:50she has really moved on. She is head and shoulders above everyone else

0:07:50 > 0:07:54and she will show that today, when she goes and blasts it from the

0:07:54 > 0:07:58start.Let's hope, so much can go wrong in the short track, at least

0:07:58 > 0:08:03in the luge it is just you and the track?You and the track and your

0:08:03 > 0:08:09commitment! It will be great to begin watching the luge today. --

0:08:09 > 0:08:15your equipment. Luge on the skeleton and the bobsleigher are all on the

0:08:15 > 0:08:19same track. Three different starts, luge begin at the top so they have

0:08:19 > 0:08:25more speed. They go first, the ice is more rounded, the Bobsleigh tends

0:08:25 > 0:08:32to mash it up. You do not have a proper groove cut in, but it chips

0:08:32 > 0:08:37on the ice. Especially when it is so cold. The luge make it all smooth,

0:08:37 > 0:08:41then we come along and take their ice off of them!We are watching

0:08:41 > 0:08:47from afar, all of the action taking place 5500 miles away in the

0:08:47 > 0:08:54Republic of Korea, as it is officially known, known here as

0:08:55 > 0:09:01South Korea. Japan in the East, North Korea in the north. It is a

0:09:01 > 0:09:04technology hub, very futuristic. They have the best Wi-Fi out there

0:09:04 > 0:09:07of any Olympic venue

0:09:07 > 0:09:08They have the best Wi-Fi out there of any Olympic venue ever, people

0:09:08 > 0:09:13are saying! It is all lit up in the night sky, it will be very dramatic.

0:09:13 > 0:09:17Amy, the competitors get to walk the track. I always think that must be

0:09:17 > 0:09:17Amy, the competitors get to walk the track. I always think that must be

0:09:17 > 0:09:21more difficult than sliding it. They have all walked down the track with

0:09:21 > 0:09:25the spikes in their shoes?Yes, track walking as part of your

0:09:25 > 0:09:30training. We have special tracks bikes we put over our shoes. We look

0:09:30 > 0:09:34at the profile of the corners, you work out all of the lines in your

0:09:34 > 0:09:40head. You only have two runs per day, six runs to learn the entire 16

0:09:40 > 0:09:45corners of a track. It isn't like Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton can go

0:09:45 > 0:09:51round hundreds of times. We only have six. You have the mental

0:09:51 > 0:09:56imagery, writing your track notes. All of that is information you log

0:09:56 > 0:09:59in your brain.And the later competitors will be watching the

0:09:59 > 0:10:03earlier ones with interest. Let's have a look at the action as it gets

0:10:03 > 0:10:07underway. John Jackson, one of Britain's best ever bobsleigh

0:10:07 > 0:10:13pilots, is in the commentary box...

0:10:13 > 0:10:17COMMENTATOR: Good evening from a very chilly South Korea,

0:10:17 > 0:10:22Pyeongchang, the first 16 days of sliding gets underway. Six bobsleigh

0:10:22 > 0:10:26days coming up. Three skeleton, with Lizzy Yarnold tucked away in the

0:10:26 > 0:10:31middle of all of the action. Six days of the luge are beginning here,

0:10:31 > 0:10:39and it's the right time. The first dozen or so of these luge athletes

0:10:39 > 0:10:44to go, this is Semen Pavlichenko, the reigning European champion. The

0:10:44 > 0:10:48first dozen are theoretically all going to be chasing the gold medal.

0:10:48 > 0:10:51This track is so technical, especially as we get down to the

0:10:51 > 0:10:57bend. You will hear plenty more of that through the course of the next

0:10:57 > 0:11:03two weeks or so. John Jackson is looking at every possible

0:11:03 > 0:11:06technicality as the European champion Pavlichenko is on his way.

0:11:06 > 0:11:10He is going down the street now, he made a mistake straightaway. There

0:11:10 > 0:11:15is a lot of skidding. Little moments like this will cost you medals. Not

0:11:15 > 0:11:19everybody has drilled into the track, working out the lines. That

0:11:19 > 0:11:23tricky corner will cost a lot of people. You can see he is putting

0:11:23 > 0:11:27down his feet a lot. Not a good first run in his Olympic campaign.

0:11:27 > 0:11:35Not fluent at all. In the luge daytime things to the 1000th of a

0:11:35 > 0:11:39second. That is because back in the 1970s there was a dead heat for the

0:11:39 > 0:11:44gold medal. You saw his body language, a shake of the head from

0:11:44 > 0:11:48Pavlichenko, he is not happy. We are expecting a fewer of the top stars

0:11:48 > 0:11:52to go less than 48 seconds?There will definitely be a new track

0:11:52 > 0:11:58record.

0:11:58 > 0:12:02record. You can see here, as he comes down the straight, there was a

0:12:02 > 0:12:07big skid at the entrance to 12 there. There is a lot of G-force on

0:12:07 > 0:12:12the corner. It cost him a lot of time.Pavlichenko is unhappy but we

0:12:12 > 0:12:21do have some superb sliders to come. To reiterate... These early athletes

0:12:21 > 0:12:26are the likely medallists. Coming up next for Austria, the current world

0:12:26 > 0:12:29champion, Wolfgang Kindl. Pavlichenko made a mess of his first

0:12:29 > 0:12:37run. Now, what can Kindl do? It has been 50 years since Austria won a

0:12:37 > 0:12:41gold medal in this event, thanks to Manfred Schmidt. Can Kindl

0:12:41 > 0:12:49consolidate his position and become an Olympic champion? He needs four

0:12:49 > 0:12:54consistent runs, not a slick away from Pavlichenko. He needs to be a

0:12:54 > 0:12:59lot need to down the track?His line into two was great. Another part of

0:12:59 > 0:13:04the course that has been tripping up people. The ice is a lot quicker

0:13:04 > 0:13:08than what they are used to do when they came here last year. It has

0:13:08 > 0:13:12caused people trouble. The extra cold temperatures makes the ice

0:13:12 > 0:13:16really hard and fast at the same time. But it is a good line into 12.

0:13:16 > 0:13:20Now he should start picking up his speed and on the competitor which

0:13:20 > 0:13:27has gone down in front of him. You can now see he is pulling away...

0:13:27 > 0:13:32He comes into the last corner. Uphill to the line here. If you have

0:13:32 > 0:13:38lost your speed midway down, it's tricky to get it back. There you go,

0:13:38 > 0:13:4247.9. Kindl with a new track record. This though is a very young track,

0:13:42 > 0:13:48of course. But Kindl has set the early standard.

0:13:48 > 0:13:55The world champion starts his run, was that a little shake of the head?

0:13:55 > 0:13:59Yes, he knew that that mistake cost him. It's a great line-out, but as

0:13:59 > 0:14:07he comes into the bend, he has to work so hard to correct that. It

0:14:07 > 0:14:12costs him time. This will be such a tight race. The last day of

0:14:12 > 0:14:14training, the top seven athletes were covered by 15 hundredths of a

0:14:14 > 0:14:19second. They were not making mistakes in training but they are

0:14:19 > 0:14:25now in the race. It is wide open. Earlier we were watching the women

0:14:25 > 0:14:31having their practice runs, some of them looked as though they had never

0:14:31 > 0:14:35been on the luge before! Now, for Germany, the third to go down,

0:14:35 > 0:14:41Johannes Ludwig. It is his third Olympics, current number five in the

0:14:41 > 0:14:44world for Germany. They completely dominating this event, and they have

0:14:44 > 0:14:49done with the exception of the great arm and certainly years for Italy.

0:14:49 > 0:14:57Germany the team to beat. He has been impressive in his training

0:14:57 > 0:15:02sessions, Ludwig?Yes, he is one of the guys to watch. You can see more

0:15:02 > 0:15:06control in his sled, how they steer it, they use their shoulders and

0:15:06 > 0:15:11legs, the top leg does the steering. It is a great line into 12. And it

0:15:11 > 0:15:15is key to keeping speed at the bottom of the track. As he comes

0:15:15 > 0:15:20down into the big Olympic corner, corner 14, you can see the Olympic

0:15:20 > 0:15:24logo there. Building speed through the speed trap. Over 80 miles an

0:15:24 > 0:15:27hour. These guys are really motoring down

0:15:27 > 0:15:33there. Moving into first place, Ludwig goes ahead Earth Kindl. If

0:15:33 > 0:15:42finishing speed of 151 Lahmert is per hour, over 80 mph. He translates

0:15:42 > 0:15:47his excellent practice sessions over the last few days to this first

0:15:47 > 0:15:52all-important run -- 151 kilometres per hour.Let's point out, as you

0:15:52 > 0:15:55watch a replay again... The last couple of Olympics from day one, you

0:15:55 > 0:15:59needed to be in the first three to get a medal. It is that important to

0:15:59 > 0:16:03get a great start and on this track of all, it is so important that you

0:16:03 > 0:16:14are consistent in the four runs.

0:16:18 > 0:16:21Without a doubt consistency is key and it is all about who has got the

0:16:21 > 0:16:25mental toughness to cope with the Olympics. It is no different to any

0:16:25 > 0:16:34other race that they have been in before.Next for Italy,

0:16:34 > 0:16:39before.Next for Italy, 24-year-old Dominik Fischnaller, a policeman,

0:16:39 > 0:16:45and tonight, speeding is mandatory! Straight into that early right-hand

0:16:45 > 0:16:58bend. He was third in the World Championships behind Kindl.And he

0:16:58 > 0:17:01also holds the track record, but there is another mistake and I think

0:17:01 > 0:17:05they are just gripping into the ice which is causing them not to be on

0:17:05 > 0:17:10the optimum line. Ice conditions can change it so much from day.

0:17:10 > 0:17:15Hopefully he will keep the speed that he needs at the bottom of the

0:17:15 > 0:17:25track to stay close to Ludwig. But he has lost a couple of tenth is

0:17:25 > 0:17:34already and that will be difficult to get back.

0:17:34 > 0:17:37to get back.Watching on is the legendary Italian Armin Zoeggeler,

0:17:37 > 0:17:47now coach of these Italian boys.

0:17:50 > 0:17:52And after that Dominik Fischnaller is currently in second place.

0:17:52 > 0:17:57Quickest at the moment is Ludwig. And you can see the coach, he knows

0:17:57 > 0:18:03what it means, he has got six Olympic medals from six Games, he's

0:18:03 > 0:18:09a legend of the sport. Just under their chin you will see a little

0:18:09 > 0:18:12strap, that yellow looking cord, that is to stop their head being

0:18:12 > 0:18:22thrown back when they go in to the big G corners, it is one of the bits

0:18:22 > 0:18:28of safety equipment that these guys use. And here is the great Felix

0:18:28 > 0:18:33Loch, incredible to be calling him great, just 28 years old, but he has

0:18:33 > 0:18:37won the last two Olympic Games, a brilliant talent from Germany and if

0:18:37 > 0:18:43he can win gold here this week he will replicate the achievements of

0:18:43 > 0:18:51his compatriot Georg Hackl, who won three. Such a classy exponent of the

0:18:51 > 0:18:56art of luge, what do you make of his start, John Jackson?Again, looks

0:18:56 > 0:19:00nice and smooth, squeezing his legs, using the top leg to steer around

0:19:00 > 0:19:04the corner. Slid off that one a little bit did not get the ultimate

0:19:04 > 0:19:08line out, but everything looks good so far. Starting to build speed,

0:19:08 > 0:19:13let's see what his line is like, he's been good in training... Yep,

0:19:13 > 0:19:17nailed the straight. This is where he should start building speed now,

0:19:17 > 0:19:21into the bottom of the track. And he's just starting to pull away,

0:19:21 > 0:19:26these real smooth lines as he comes up to the final corner, are really

0:19:26 > 0:19:31paying dividend for him.And straight into the lead! Now, that is

0:19:31 > 0:19:34the mark of an Olympic champion! And you can see his coach is very, very

0:19:34 > 0:19:45tatters vied -- satisfied with that! What a start for the great Felix

0:19:45 > 0:19:49Loch.You can see knows what he's doing, he has done it many times

0:19:49 > 0:19:52before, he knows what it is like to handle this pressure.He does

0:19:52 > 0:20:03indeed. Very happy, and why not, so important to get a good start, the

0:20:03 > 0:20:08power as you push away from the start and it ended up being a decent

0:20:08 > 0:20:13line out although it was quite high? Yeah, it was quite high, all of

0:20:13 > 0:20:21those little bits just cost you time and ultimate top speed.Now, if

0:20:21 > 0:20:27there is a youngster to beat Felix Loch, it might be this youngster,

0:20:27 > 0:20:33from the Olympic athletes of Russia team, this is Roman Repilov, a

0:20:33 > 0:20:3721-year-old, I saw him training at the start of the week, he made big

0:20:37 > 0:20:40mistakes. I saw him training yesterday - he looked as though he

0:20:40 > 0:20:45had learned a lot of lessons, he's talented, John?Yep, his first

0:20:45 > 0:20:50Games, this is another guy, can he handle the pressure of what those

0:20:50 > 0:20:59five rings ring to it? Just not settled into his rhythm just yet if

0:20:59 > 0:21:04although he is only 27 thousandths behind, which is not much. Coming

0:21:04 > 0:21:10into these big pressure corners just this is key... In needs to be

0:21:10 > 0:21:15straight, and he has drilled that straight down the middle, straight

0:21:15 > 0:21:19into 12, big G corner into 13, everything looking good... He's just

0:21:19 > 0:21:25starting to drop off Felix Loch a little bit but he's going to keep

0:21:25 > 0:21:28himself in contention as he comes into the final corner.Round he

0:21:28 > 0:21:37comes, then. Let's see where he marches

0:21:37 > 0:21:41marches up to Felix Loch... And that is a fairly big gap already. He has

0:21:41 > 0:21:47got work to do. And there are plenty more talented luge athletes to come

0:21:47 > 0:21:51in this first ten or 12. To reiterate - you're watching right

0:21:51 > 0:21:55now the best in the world. Whatever happens this week, Roman Repilov has

0:21:55 > 0:22:00got a big future.Yes, he has, definitely. You can see how they use

0:22:00 > 0:22:04their legs to steer, and this is the difference between Felix Loch and

0:22:04 > 0:22:09the guy who is on the sled at the moment. You can see the different

0:22:09 > 0:22:14lines, and what they're doing on the sled to achieve that. Ultimately, is

0:22:14 > 0:22:18one faster than the other? You could say that one is but it is about

0:22:18 > 0:22:21getting the best for you and your equipment to get the ultimate speed

0:22:21 > 0:22:28for yourself.Next to go, for Austria, 28-year-old Reinhard Egger.

0:22:28 > 0:22:33Unlike the guys we've just seen, a top-10 finish I think for him this

0:22:33 > 0:22:36week would be a realistic aim for him. He will be going for the

0:22:36 > 0:22:41podium, obviously, but his performances suggest that that might

0:22:41 > 0:22:48be beyond him. Let's see what he's got, Reinhard Egger, his best World

0:22:48 > 0:22:52Cup result this year was fourth in a number of. He just doesn't seem to

0:22:52 > 0:22:59quite have the quality of the likes of some of the others.

0:22:59 > 0:23:02of some of the others.Yep, some of it is just down to the equipment.

0:23:02 > 0:23:09You will find a young guy like Roman Repilov, he's just a natural talent,

0:23:09 > 0:23:12where others have to work hard to find the lines. And he's working

0:23:12 > 0:23:18hard. He has come into that corner a little bit late and he has got to

0:23:18 > 0:23:22work harder into 12, but he gets a good line into 13, where we have

0:23:22 > 0:23:26seen some guys messing it up. He's just dropping off a little bit as he

0:23:26 > 0:23:32comes up the hill. So, towards the finish he comes, this is Reinhard

0:23:32 > 0:23:36Egger, and he's in sixth place. We're talking half a second, but

0:23:36 > 0:23:39that's a massive margin. It indicates the gap between the

0:23:39 > 0:23:48calibre that is Reinhard Egger and the calibre that is Loch. Who will

0:23:48 > 0:23:53have had to work harder as he came into the entrance of 12, and that

0:23:53 > 0:23:56just takes your speed away from the bottom half of the track, and you

0:23:56 > 0:24:00can see how much he's lost. The exit there, you can see him using his

0:24:00 > 0:24:04right leg to try and turn the sled coming out of seven, and this is

0:24:04 > 0:24:08where he just starts to drift away, and as it comes out of shot he's

0:24:08 > 0:24:12more into the middle of the corner, and he's just got to work, you can

0:24:12 > 0:24:16see him trying to use his feet to get into the right place.Those slow

0:24:16 > 0:24:21motion shots are fantastic, the face of Reinhard Egger trying to battle

0:24:21 > 0:24:27through that straight after bend number nine - fantastic stuff. As

0:24:27 > 0:24:34now, the young Latvian Kristers Aparjods gets his chance, his first

0:24:34 > 0:24:39Olympics, he's only 19, he turns 20 at the end of the month, he is

0:24:39 > 0:24:43you've Olympic champion, and he had four absolutely super training runs

0:24:43 > 0:24:45out of the six that you are allowed. I'm looking forward to seeing how he

0:24:45 > 0:24:54gets on. He is a real talent for the future, like Repilov.Definitely,

0:24:54 > 0:25:00and he has got a relatively good start. This is the key and he has

0:25:00 > 0:25:05got through their relatively well and hopefully that will keep the

0:25:05 > 0:25:09speed for him. He's just starting to drop off, but that's relative to his

0:25:09 > 0:25:14start. He was brave hundredths behind and now he's six. Hopefully

0:25:14 > 0:25:18he can start to get it back as he comes down the track. That corner

0:25:18 > 0:25:22drops away so much from eight. Write down the middle, nice, smooth line,

0:25:22 > 0:25:27just look at the legs and see how much they're working. That's just

0:25:27 > 0:25:32took keep control of the sled. Into the big corner, and you can see he's

0:25:32 > 0:25:39still within reach.Good speed, you know! He's doing really well here,

0:25:39 > 0:25:44and Kristers Aparjods goes into fourth place - that's an excellent,

0:25:44 > 0:25:49excellent run from him! Who will be thrilled, for one so young that was

0:25:49 > 0:25:53a fantastic run and just look at the smile through the visor! He knows he

0:25:53 > 0:25:58has studied his Olympic campaign just as he wanted!Yeah, definitely

0:25:58 > 0:26:04that was a really good run. Just lost a little bit of a speed at the

0:26:04 > 0:26:08bottom, but that happens when you're trying to fight the sled, sometimes

0:26:08 > 0:26:11you can just drive a little bit too much. And you could see that he was

0:26:11 > 0:26:15working quite hard with his legs through the big corners to keep

0:26:15 > 0:26:19control of the sled. You can see him shifting his body weight down,

0:26:19 > 0:26:22tucking his hands in and getting ready for the first corner. Sliding

0:26:22 > 0:26:26off that corner getting a bit high. Coming round you can see how much

0:26:26 > 0:26:32they're using their feet, as he comes across the line.Early stages,

0:26:32 > 0:26:42then, Repilov is in third, and out in front is Loch.

0:26:42 > 0:26:47in front is Loch. The world champion is down in fifth place at the

0:26:47 > 0:26:52moment. This is Tucker West from the United States, he had a bad crash on

0:26:52 > 0:26:57his first day of training but he seems to be running fast. He has

0:26:57 > 0:27:01just shaved a bit off his old record.Well, that's what the

0:27:01 > 0:27:04Olympics brings, everybody wants to come here in tiptop shape and

0:27:04 > 0:27:08hopefully he can carry that down the track and use it to pull himself up

0:27:08 > 0:27:14the rankings. He just slipped up that corner a little bit there, you

0:27:14 > 0:27:17could hear it, he didn't get the optimum online, and hopefully that

0:27:17 > 0:27:23will not cost him too much. Yeah, he has got that wrong, and that was

0:27:23 > 0:27:27just from him keeping the steer onto long and that affected his line

0:27:27 > 0:27:32round 12 through the chicane. He was seven hundredths behind, he is now

0:27:32 > 0:27:38going to drop nearly five tenths towards the end, if not more.Yeah,

0:27:38 > 0:27:42and in terms of trying to get a medal, that is probably game over

0:27:42 > 0:27:48for him. Tucker West, and that mistake after nine into the chicane,

0:27:48 > 0:27:53it's a vital part of the track and he made a right mess of it, did

0:27:53 > 0:27:57Tucker West, and there is no hiding place?No, you've got to be perfect

0:27:57 > 0:28:00on this track, and the key to getting a medal on this track is

0:28:00 > 0:28:06getting through exit two correct, and off exit nine. If you get those

0:28:06 > 0:28:11two try to... You can just see he has just steered too much and that's

0:28:11 > 0:28:16why he's ended up in the wall. He's trying to get control, steadied the

0:28:16 > 0:28:22sled and almost just hang on and not get knocked off.Great pictures

0:28:22 > 0:28:26again of Tucker West struggling with the middle part of this track. Great

0:28:26 > 0:28:31starter, exciting talent for the future, as we move on to the

0:28:31 > 0:28:3633-year-old German Andi Langenhan, a medallist at three World

0:28:36 > 0:28:42Championships. He was fourth in Sochi, fifth in Vancouver. Firmly

0:28:42 > 0:28:45enough that so chic he did not get a particularly good start but went on

0:28:45 > 0:28:50to do very well, just missing the medals. In his third Olympics now

0:28:50 > 0:28:57and under way...Yeah, this track is a lot shorter than Sochi. So, for

0:28:57 > 0:29:01him to be a little bit behind on the start, on a short-track, is not

0:29:01 > 0:29:06going to help him. Yes, he's a great driver but you just run out of track

0:29:06 > 0:29:12to be able to catch the guy is just at the moment he has got a bit of a

0:29:12 > 0:29:15high driving line and I think that is going to cost him time. You can

0:29:15 > 0:29:20see as he drops down in eight, that corner, the elevation, drops so

0:29:20 > 0:29:26much. He is going to come into that corner late and have to do a bit

0:29:26 > 0:29:30more work into 12. Coming into 13, you can see that I'm dropping away,

0:29:30 > 0:29:34and that's cost him big. That corner is so important, that transition,

0:29:34 > 0:29:39and just a little bit high in 15 he's going to have lost a lot of

0:29:39 > 0:29:48time coming up the hill.And Andi Langenhan drops down to seventh

0:29:48 > 0:29:53place, so again, under early pressure in the early stages of the

0:29:53 > 0:29:59men's singles luge competition. Looking a little bit resigned, Andi

0:29:59 > 0:30:05Langenhan. Wanted better, didn't quite get it. And these are top guys

0:30:05 > 0:30:10ahead of him.Yeah, and the start was great but it is this line here,

0:30:10 > 0:30:14as he drifts over and he's trying to get himself back into 12, and that's

0:30:14 > 0:30:19what cost him. The characteristics of this track is, it is easy to get

0:30:19 > 0:30:24down but it is hard to be fast, because it is so technical, and the

0:30:24 > 0:30:27athletes are struggling to find the speed in the track, because they're

0:30:27 > 0:30:33just slightly off-line.

0:30:33 > 0:30:38Those are the leaders, separated by two tenths of a second. Big margins

0:30:38 > 0:30:45from first place to fifth place in the early stages. Now, the Austrian

0:30:45 > 0:30:49competitor,, the 23-year-old David Gleirscher making his Olympic debut.

0:30:49 > 0:30:54Coming into the game is ranked number 12 in the world. Capable, we

0:30:54 > 0:31:00saw them training together this week. He is capable of fast times

0:31:00 > 0:31:04down the track?A lot of these athletes are, that's in training.

0:31:04 > 0:31:07There's no pressure, you do your own thing. On race day, it's a different

0:31:07 > 0:31:13ball game to what you've done in training. It just isn't quite in the

0:31:13 > 0:31:18read them yet. Sliding off the corner is a bit. Not quite getting

0:31:18 > 0:31:24his optimum line, he slides across again. Going into the middle, just

0:31:24 > 0:31:28losing some time all the way down. It is because he isn't coming off

0:31:28 > 0:31:32the exit directly. He slides off, costing him time. That's what we

0:31:32 > 0:31:41find here.Picking uphill in the mid-hill section four Gleirscher.

0:31:41 > 0:31:46There we go, he found some great speed towards the bottom of the

0:31:46 > 0:31:51track, he nips ahead of Loch. A tremendous effort ultimately from

0:31:51 > 0:31:56Gleirscher. We saw flashes of this earlier this week. I do think his

0:31:56 > 0:32:00problem will be consistency. He needs three more of the same. He has

0:32:00 > 0:32:03shown in the past he hasn't quite delivered that level of consistency

0:32:03 > 0:32:10but what a start!Definitely, you can see it sliding off the corners

0:32:10 > 0:32:13rather than coming straight out. That would usually mean it would

0:32:13 > 0:32:18slow down, but he has found his speed. Maybe that is his style and

0:32:18 > 0:32:22it works for him? A great start. He looked a little messy at the top but

0:32:22 > 0:32:27he got sorted at the bottom of the track, and found a speed when nobody

0:32:27 > 0:32:33else has found it in the last few runs.We are only 11 athletes in. 40

0:32:33 > 0:32:41in this first section. I would be amazed if anybody can touch

0:32:41 > 0:32:44Gleirscher now for the lead. Ahead of Loch and Ludvig. Next ago, Jozef

0:32:44 > 0:32:53Ninis. His fourth Olympics, would you believe? 20th at Sochi, that was

0:32:53 > 0:32:58his best ever placing.He came a little too high around the exit of

0:32:58 > 0:33:06two. You can see that is just a little higher on the corners. He is

0:33:06 > 0:33:11making his way down. The lines are fine and looking good from this

0:33:11 > 0:33:17point on. Initially, not so great. No, out of nine, he clattered to the

0:33:17 > 0:33:25right-hand wall. To the bottom end of the track here, and Ninis has to

0:33:25 > 0:33:28hold it together. Hitting a wall like that at halfway, I would

0:33:28 > 0:33:33imagine it is difficult to maintain control? Ninis finishes his run. He

0:33:33 > 0:33:38ends in sixth place. To be honest, that is pretty respectable. Nearly

0:33:38 > 0:33:43two tenths of a second behind Gleirscher. The big guns have gone.

0:33:43 > 0:33:49Don't forget Adam Rosen and Rupert Staudinger are competing for

0:33:49 > 0:33:56Britain. The pacesetter from Austria, Gleirscher ahead of two

0:33:56 > 0:34:03Germans. STUDIO: Thanks to John Hunt and Joe Jackson, that's on the red

0:34:03 > 0:34:06button. AJ Rosen in

0:34:06 > 0:34:07and Joe Jackson, that's on the red button. AJ Rosen in 31st position.

0:34:07 > 0:34:12Although Felix Loch has just been overtaken on the first run, he is

0:34:12 > 0:34:17the man, isn't he?He is the one to watch committee has so many years of

0:34:17 > 0:34:21experience, as you say. In our sport, learning the track quickly,

0:34:21 > 0:34:27Years & Years knowledge of the environment, the ice and the

0:34:27 > 0:34:34technology and the sled.There is so much pressure on your neck in the

0:34:34 > 0:34:42luge and the skeleton?We do a lot of training in the gym for your neck

0:34:42 > 0:34:44strength, using weighted belts but nothing can prepare you for the

0:34:44 > 0:34:52pressure of the G-force on the ice. Coming back from summer and not

0:34:52 > 0:34:59sliding, you are in pain. You cannot replicate the actual G-force.And it

0:34:59 > 0:35:05different ice sport, we will go to the Gangneung Ice Arena. This is the

0:35:05 > 0:35:07hot ticket... South Korea

0:35:07 > 0:35:08the Gangneung Ice Arena. This is the hot ticket... South Korea is the

0:35:08 > 0:35:13hotbed of short track speed skating. Every session is a sell-out. In

0:35:13 > 0:35:18terms of British hopes, all eyes will be on Elise Christie.

0:35:22 > 0:35:26This is Elise Christie. She is the best short track speed skater the UK

0:35:26 > 0:35:32has ever produced... She is a world record holder, a triple world

0:35:32 > 0:35:36champion, and she is Great Britain's best hope for a gold medal in the

0:35:36 > 0:35:38upcoming Winter Olympics.

0:35:38 > 0:35:41best hope for a gold medal in the upcoming Winter Olympics.

0:35:41 > 0:35:46Tell us how it all began for you?I started as a figure skater when I

0:35:46 > 0:35:52was really young, like, seven. I transferred over, because we did a

0:35:52 > 0:35:58race the week after I started. It was a fun race. I dig through a

0:35:58 > 0:36:04Selection box of chocolate from winning that race! -- I've won a

0:36:04 > 0:36:07Selection box.She was one of those kids can you could show her

0:36:07 > 0:36:12something and she would pick it up immediately. She had a natural

0:36:12 > 0:36:16ability.Elise is a very special athlete but four years ago she

0:36:16 > 0:36:22nearly walked away from the sport that she loves. One of the

0:36:22 > 0:36:26favourites for a gold medal in Sochi, the Olympics she worked so

0:36:26 > 0:36:30hard for ended with disqualifications, and death

0:36:30 > 0:36:33threats. I've had a lot of stuff on the

0:36:33 > 0:36:36Internet I've had to deal with, it has been tough, I am finding it

0:36:36 > 0:36:41quite hard.What is it like to get a death threat? Most of us,

0:36:41 > 0:36:44thankfully, I don't think have experienced that?You do believe

0:36:44 > 0:36:49that those people and that person, that they are genuinely threatening

0:36:49 > 0:36:54your life. It becomes scary, I spent six months after being scared of

0:36:54 > 0:36:59being in my house alone or going out alone, because so many, at once,

0:36:59 > 0:37:05made it feel so real. Even though realistically, it was coming from

0:37:05 > 0:37:10mostly the Koreans. They weren't going to be in England. But it was a

0:37:10 > 0:37:15very difficult time.Pyeongchang, these Winter Olympics, what does it

0:37:15 > 0:37:24signify for you?You want to see redemption. Is the dream. For every

0:37:24 > 0:37:32athlete, they dream of being an Olympic medallist.Is there room for

0:37:32 > 0:37:38an Olympic medal?Three brakes is here!The dream isn't to go out and

0:37:38 > 0:37:42sit in second place, the dream is to go and try and win a gold medal.

0:37:42 > 0:37:47That might mean you replicate Sochi but I'm not scared of doing that in

0:37:47 > 0:37:51terms of how hard I have worked, I feel like I deserve to go out and

0:37:51 > 0:37:57try to win, no matter what anyone says about it. STUDIO: She is

0:37:57 > 0:37:57try to win, no matter what anyone says about it. STUDIO: She is

0:37:57 > 0:38:01prepared to risk it all, that's the message you get from it.

0:38:01 > 0:38:05She is embracing the challenge. This is what Elise Christie has already

0:38:05 > 0:38:08achieved in her career... A three-time world champion, 12

0:38:08 > 0:38:15World Championship medals, 17 European Championship medals, ten

0:38:15 > 0:38:17European titles, she is the world record-holder over the distance that

0:38:17 > 0:38:22she will be racing today, the 500 metres.

0:38:22 > 0:38:25Sarah, where does she stand among female short

0:38:25 > 0:38:26Sarah, where does she stand among female short track speed skater 's?

0:38:26 > 0:38:31She is the best skater that there has ever been. She really is the

0:38:31 > 0:38:37fastest girl on the ice. She has won everything now. This is all that is

0:38:37 > 0:38:41left for her. I think only a gold medal would do.And John, what she

0:38:41 > 0:38:49need to do, in these early stages? She has to be in first two. And not

0:38:49 > 0:38:57get into trouble?She has a great start, she is in lane two. Alper

0:38:57 > 0:39:01block, she can get going and be confident of leading the race.

0:39:01 > 0:39:06Hopefully her coach can tell her she is five or ten metres ahead, and she

0:39:06 > 0:39:09can relax.British team-mates are in action, Charlotte Gilmartin, she

0:39:09 > 0:39:19could go really well, and Kat Thompson. Backstage, you guys have

0:39:19 > 0:39:24been there and competed, but Sarah, tell us about what Elise does in

0:39:24 > 0:39:28these latter stages?It's really difficult with her, I mean look...

0:39:28 > 0:39:33You've no idea what she is thinking. I have been addicted to social media

0:39:33 > 0:39:38and stories and things. She appears to be very relaxed. It is the

0:39:38 > 0:39:42biggest moment of her life. But I do think that she is enjoying herself.

0:39:42 > 0:39:46She told me that she gets very chatty before a race. And she uses

0:39:46 > 0:39:50it to psych out the other skaters? She really does try and interact

0:39:50 > 0:39:56with others. Giving off a persona that she is very relaxed.And there

0:39:56 > 0:40:00is Charlotte.It's great to see the girls warming up together...

0:40:00 > 0:40:05Charlotte to the left, and Kat Thompson with her plats?Yes, both

0:40:05 > 0:40:10looking very relaxed. Elise is exercising with Nicky Gooch, her

0:40:10 > 0:40:14coach. And the performance scientist. Her boyfriend is also

0:40:14 > 0:40:24there. Shaolin, he has been in the 1500 metres.He is a world champion.

0:40:24 > 0:40:30He skates for Hungary. It was nice in the documentary, everybody said

0:40:30 > 0:40:35that he has been a really good influence on her?He has really

0:40:35 > 0:40:40helped Elise. The two together, the last two years together, they've

0:40:40 > 0:40:44come on in leaps and bounds together. Hopefully they can both be

0:40:44 > 0:40:50successful together.And in Kat Thompson's heat, we will see Fontana

0:40:50 > 0:40:55of Italy, she is very good, isn't she?Yes, she has been winning for a

0:40:55 > 0:41:00long time. She's done very well at the Europeans. She has Olympic

0:41:00 > 0:41:06medals already. She is definitely one to watch.She carried the flag

0:41:06 > 0:41:14for Italy last night, she might be a bit tired...!Get you! You would be

0:41:14 > 0:41:18telling her that. And tell me about Charlotte Gilmartin. John Cooney you

0:41:18 > 0:41:23were saying not to ignore her? She has become a very strong skater.

0:41:23 > 0:41:28Yes, she is from my own club, the Solihull Mohawks. She will be loving

0:41:28 > 0:41:35this. She loves these big competitions. She will put in a

0:41:35 > 0:41:38performance in this.And it must be that Andy Murray effect on Kyle

0:41:38 > 0:41:43Edmund and others, that when you have someone as good as Elise,

0:41:43 > 0:41:48training as hard as she does, everybody around her, their level

0:41:48 > 0:41:52rises?Definitely, I do think they feed off one another well, Elise and

0:41:52 > 0:41:58Charlotte, and I think that Kat can do the same.Charlotte practising

0:41:58 > 0:42:04her starts. In the 500 metres, the start is crucial. But anything can

0:42:04 > 0:42:11happen, as you know. What happened to you in Vancouver?Umm, it was a

0:42:11 > 0:42:16normal start. We crashed and you do not have a lame. There is no right

0:42:16 > 0:42:22of way into you get to the middle block. -- you do not have a lane. I

0:42:22 > 0:42:26crashed with another girl, so we started the race again. The same

0:42:26 > 0:42:31thing happened again, so I was sent off. I have done six restarts

0:42:31 > 0:42:36before. They always recall it.Why were you sent off?I don't know,

0:42:36 > 0:42:40there was a suggestion of being behind time with the TV. It was

0:42:40 > 0:42:44taking too long. Each restart takes another five minutes, I think they

0:42:44 > 0:42:47wanted to hurry it along. They probably knew the same thing was

0:42:47 > 0:42:52going to happen, I wasn't going to give up, I was always going to fight

0:42:52 > 0:42:56for the first corner, if I'm not in front I went when. My start is my

0:42:56 > 0:43:02strong point and it's the same with the girl I was next to, those were

0:43:02 > 0:43:06her strengths. Neither of us were going to back down.You've got to be

0:43:06 > 0:43:11able to cope with decisions that are clearly... I was going to say and

0:43:11 > 0:43:16just, but they can feel very unfair. As a team we always say that the

0:43:16 > 0:43:22referee will make a decision, let's try and stay out of those issues.

0:43:22 > 0:43:26Try and skate as clean as possible but as Sarah says, on the start

0:43:26 > 0:43:31line, it is dog eat dog you got to look after yourself in the best way

0:43:31 > 0:43:38possible. They are great starts, Charlotte has lain one, Elise has

0:43:38 > 0:43:43the second.And help close a family is the short track speed skating

0:43:43 > 0:43:50world?Very. It is a small sport... And Mike Pence is there by the

0:43:50 > 0:43:59way...The USA VP! It is a big sport...Sorry, Sarah, what about

0:43:59 > 0:44:05understanding each other? Presumably someone will always be at the raw

0:44:05 > 0:44:08end of the deal... Yes, you are with one another every single day.But

0:44:08 > 0:44:13you do know what each other is going through, everybody has the same goal

0:44:13 > 0:44:21and everybody wants to win. When one of your team members wins, it feels

0:44:21 > 0:44:26like a victory for everyone.I think that is the Korean President too.

0:44:26 > 0:44:30Isn't it interesting how Olympic sport can bring along so much

0:44:30 > 0:44:33political diplomacy!Is the place

0:44:33 > 0:44:33sport can bring along so much political diplomacy!Is the place to

0:44:33 > 0:44:36be seen! You have to be in it at the right time... This definitely is the

0:44:36 > 0:44:43place to be seen. Look at that, as a stadium. The adrenaline really

0:44:43 > 0:44:48begins to ramp up when you have that big a crowd.You cannot see that on

0:44:48 > 0:44:52the TV, the atmosphere.You cannot feel it unless you are really in

0:44:52 > 0:44:56there. But you really feel all of that excitement, throughout the

0:44:56 > 0:45:00entire crowd.Are they adding more water with the watering can?They

0:45:00 > 0:45:05will be cleaning it a bit.They put on the water to help to settle the

0:45:05 > 0:45:09ice. It has been freshly cut, it will be dry. The water goes on and

0:45:09 > 0:45:14so the athletes can grip as much as possible. They can hit the corner as

0:45:14 > 0:45:19fast as they want and hopefully carry that speed out of the corner.

0:45:19 > 0:45:23This is going to be extremely exciting and very tense. Coming up,

0:45:23 > 0:45:27in heat four, elite Christie. Kat Thompson in the second heats,

0:45:27 > 0:45:33and Charlotte Gilmartin going later, let's go over to our commentators,

0:45:33 > 0:45:44Wilf O'Reilly is with Simon Brotherton...

0:45:45 > 0:45:49SIMON BROTHERTON: Welcome to the Gangneung Ice Arena, this is the

0:45:49 > 0:45:58women's 500 metres. Elise Christie will be in heat number four, and the

0:45:58 > 0:46:03first heat is just about to start. The Canadian Kim Boutin goes

0:46:03 > 0:46:03first heat is just about to start. The Canadian Kim Boutin goes to the

0:46:03 > 0:46:10front. She was fourth in the World Championship 500 metres this season.

0:46:10 > 0:46:14She has done well at other distances as well. And at the moment Lana

0:46:14 > 0:46:17Gehring from the USA is bringing up the rear. Just moving into third

0:46:17 > 0:46:29place. So, leading the way is Kim Boutin, second place is the Polish

0:46:29 > 0:46:40athlete. That's Natalia Maliszewska. So, Kim Boutin of Canada leading the

0:46:40 > 0:46:46way, Natalia Maliszewska performing extremely well to take second, ahead

0:46:46 > 0:46:54of Lana Gehring of the USA.Superb piece of skating by Kim Boutin of

0:46:54 > 0:46:57Canada. Storming into the first bend having started number three on the

0:46:57 > 0:47:07line. And on the inside the Italian Lucia Peretti got left for dead.It

0:47:07 > 0:47:09was a tentative looking start from the Italian, from which she was

0:47:09 > 0:47:13never able to recover. To be fair to her, she was in a high-quality

0:47:13 > 0:47:19field.She certainly was. And, of course, it's all about the skate

0:47:19 > 0:47:24crossing the line when the time stops. And in this first round,

0:47:24 > 0:47:28Simon, the skaters are placed on the line based on a random computers

0:47:28 > 0:47:35election.There's confirmation of the result of Heat 1. Kim Boutin

0:47:35 > 0:47:41very dominant there. So, two of the four skaters in each heat go

0:47:41 > 0:47:48through. And we will have four heats of four in the quarterfinals, again

0:47:48 > 0:47:52the top two going through and two heats of four in the semi. So, four

0:47:52 > 0:47:57races to win it. That's Kathryn Thomson of Great Britain in heat

0:47:57 > 0:48:06number two. The Hungarian Andrea Keszler there as well. Four and a

0:48:06 > 0:48:14half laps. If you hear some singing in the background, it's the North

0:48:14 > 0:48:22Korean cheerleaders who are here. The Korean president is sitting just

0:48:22 > 0:48:28in front of us, next to the US vice president Mike Pence. Here we go

0:48:28 > 0:48:33with heat number two, and this is going to be extremely difficult for

0:48:33 > 0:48:37Kathryn Thomson - and Kathryn Thomson is on the deck already! And

0:48:37 > 0:48:42it wasn't her fault! And Andrea Keszler from Hungary went down

0:48:42 > 0:48:45first, and so they have stopped the race, because it happened so soon

0:48:45 > 0:48:53after the start.Well, the rule is, Simon, that if the skater falls

0:48:53 > 0:49:00before the halfway, top block, as we call it, on her own... There is a

0:49:00 > 0:49:07slight clash of blades, as we can see. Coming in and taking down

0:49:07 > 0:49:11Kathryn Thomson of Great Britain, so that's why they will be start the

0:49:11 > 0:49:15race with all four skaters.This is a really tough field for Thomson,

0:49:15 > 0:49:22and what a nerve-racking Olympic debut for her, to end up crashing to

0:49:22 > 0:49:27the ground so soon through no fault of her own. Some running repairs for

0:49:27 > 0:49:28Andrea Keszler, European Championship silver medallist last

0:49:28 > 0:49:34year in the 1000 metres. Arianna Fontana from Italy in this race as

0:49:34 > 0:49:41well, silver medallist four years ago in the 500 metres. And from the

0:49:41 > 0:49:44Netherlands, Suzanne Schulting, who was fourth overall in this year's

0:49:44 > 0:49:48European Championship. Let's hope they get away at the second time of

0:49:48 > 0:49:55asking. On the inside, Andrea Keszler. The Italian, is a major

0:49:55 > 0:49:58threat in this 500 metres competition, going straight to the

0:49:58 > 0:50:04front, assuming control.

0:50:05 > 0:50:07front, assuming control. Andrea Keszler in second place, a bit of a

0:50:07 > 0:50:12gap back to Kathryn Thomson. The Dutch skater disappearing almost

0:50:12 > 0:50:19underneath the barriers! Fontana is staying out of trouble. Second place

0:50:19 > 0:50:23is Andrea Keszler from Hungary... And Kathryn Thomson has gone as

0:50:23 > 0:50:30well! And these two only need to stay up right as they take the bell,

0:50:30 > 0:50:35because they're the only two stills gating around the track, and it's

0:50:35 > 0:50:43Arianna Fontana and Andrea Keszler who go through from Heat 2.Well,

0:50:43 > 0:50:47there was discussion is about the quality of eyes here and two skaters

0:50:47 > 0:50:55have gone down, nobody next to them, no argy-bargy.

0:50:55 > 0:51:01no argy-bargy. Is it the ice? I don't know.Presumably that would be

0:51:01 > 0:51:06very unusual with skaters of this ability?Absolutely, for them both

0:51:06 > 0:51:09to go down with nobody around.To people who do not follow the sport,

0:51:09 > 0:51:16ice is ice, a skating rink is a skating rink, but actually, you have

0:51:16 > 0:51:20got the figure skating here as well, and it is not the same, is it?No,

0:51:20 > 0:51:24generally speaking the figure skaters prefer to have the ice a

0:51:24 > 0:51:31little bit softer. Probably have it set somewhere around four... And you

0:51:31 > 0:51:33can see Kathryn Thomson just going down - absolutely no reason

0:51:33 > 0:51:39whatsoever.Pretty straightforward for those two, then. Sliding home

0:51:39 > 0:51:45with room to spare. Andrea Keszler from Hungary and Arianna Fontana

0:51:45 > 0:51:50from Italy. Kathryn Thomson finishing in third place but does

0:51:50 > 0:51:54not advance. Spectacular crash the Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands

0:51:54 > 0:51:59as well.

0:52:03 > 0:52:06as well. Among the next grouping on the track will be Yara Van Kerkhof

0:52:06 > 0:52:16from the Netherlands.

0:52:17 > 0:52:21The Olympic Athlete from Russia, Sofia Prosvirnova, has won four

0:52:21 > 0:52:24European Championship titles, and from Japan, Sumire Kikuchi has a

0:52:24 > 0:52:31world relay bronze medal from last year. So, it is Yara Van Kerkhof

0:52:31 > 0:52:36from the Netherlands on the front. Very good start. Seven point zero

0:52:36 > 0:52:40five for her, really setting the pace of. Against any skaters want to

0:52:40 > 0:52:43skate as fast a time as possible so that when they get through to the

0:52:43 > 0:52:46quarterfinals they can go on the number one position.Leading the way

0:52:46 > 0:52:52is Yara Van Kerkhof. The Olympic Athlete from Russia now move through

0:52:52 > 0:52:57on the inside, Sofia Prosvirnova, to take the lead. And at the back is

0:52:57 > 0:53:02the Japanese athlete Sumire Kikuchi, who's not competitive in this field

0:53:02 > 0:53:07at all.

0:53:12 > 0:53:17at all. And Sofia Prosvirnova goes through, and Yara Van Kerkhof, who

0:53:17 > 0:53:22went out of the traps very quickly at the start of the race, hanging on

0:53:22 > 0:53:25to take second, they are the two who go through to the quarterfinal.

0:53:25 > 0:53:32Well, probably the two I expected to go through.

0:53:34 > 0:53:36go through. We have to wait, of course, for the official result.

0:53:36 > 0:53:43Can't see the referees going to the video replay.

0:53:45 > 0:53:49video replay.Well, here it is again at the start, and just look at Yara

0:53:49 > 0:53:52Van Kerkhof, asserting her authority early on the race and setting the

0:53:52 > 0:53:57platform for her to qualify, but in the end, she had to give way to

0:53:57 > 0:54:06Sofia Prosvirnova.

0:54:07 > 0:54:13Now, Heat 4, Elise Christie of Great Britain will be on the ice any

0:54:13 > 0:54:23moment now. There's confirmation of the result from heat number three.

0:54:23 > 0:54:27Now, the triple world champion from 2017, Elise Christie from Great

0:54:27 > 0:54:33Britain. She was ranked fourth in the 500 metres last year at the

0:54:33 > 0:54:39World Championship. She has got a tough field here. The French athlete

0:54:39 > 0:54:45Veronique Pierron, twice sixth in the World Championship, the Chinese

0:54:45 > 0:54:53athlete Qu Chunyu and from Korea, skating in front of her home crowd,

0:54:53 > 0:54:59she grew up here in Gangneung. Four and a half laps of the track.

0:54:59 > 0:55:04Important for Elise Christie to make a clean start to her Olympic

0:55:04 > 0:55:08campaign... And she's underweight! Elise Christie goes to the front,

0:55:08 > 0:55:11and that is where she will intend to stay to stay out of any trouble.

0:55:11 > 0:55:19Elise Christie leading, and it's Qu Chunyu of China in second place. The

0:55:19 > 0:55:22Korean athlete, is a real threat in this competition, third at the

0:55:22 > 0:55:26moment with two-and-a-half laps to go. Christie out of the gate quickly

0:55:26 > 0:55:29and staying out of trouble at the moment. She has got Qu Chunyu right

0:55:29 > 0:55:36behind her. Shim Sukhee of Korea will have to try and challenge here!

0:55:36 > 0:55:39Taking the bell and Christine Still leads. Qu Chunyu is in second place,

0:55:39 > 0:55:44and it's going to be a real battle with Shim Sukhee of Korea trying to

0:55:44 > 0:55:47go round the outside! Elise Christie is safely through to the

0:55:47 > 0:55:52quarterfinals! Christie wins it, Qu Chunyu is in second place, and Shim

0:55:52 > 0:55:58Sukhee of Korea, the local skater, originally from Gangneung, out of

0:55:58 > 0:56:03it, in third.Well, Kristie Baillie through the gauntlet down there.

0:56:03 > 0:56:07Smile on the face, I said it was going to be a big game-changers,

0:56:07 > 0:56:13this race, and she has really risen to the occasion.That was really

0:56:13 > 0:56:16important, wasn't it, Wilf, that she made such a good start?That's

0:56:16 > 0:56:22right. She has also got the fastest time to date at 42.89. So if nobody

0:56:22 > 0:56:26goes any faster in the quarterfinals, she will get number

0:56:26 > 0:56:33one start position.So that will help her, she has done everything

0:56:33 > 0:56:42she can in terms of staying out of trouble and winning in a fast time

0:56:42 > 0:56:46to give her all the help possible as the competition progresses. This is

0:56:46 > 0:56:52the only round at this distance today. And it is a new Olympic

0:56:52 > 0:57:00record for Elise

0:57:00 > 0:57:03record for Elise Christie, 42.872, so the Olympic record goes in

0:57:03 > 0:57:12qualifying, then.And of course Elise Christie also holds the world

0:57:12 > 0:57:24record, which is 42.335.Coming up in

0:57:24 > 0:57:28in the next heat, ten times world champion in total, the Chinese

0:57:28 > 0:57:35athlete Fan Kexin. From the United States, the athlete, 17 years of

0:57:35 > 0:57:38age, the first African-American woman to make the United States

0:57:38 > 0:57:46speed skating team for the Olympics. Kim Alang of Korea and Anastassiya

0:57:46 > 0:57:53Krestova of Kazakhstan. And going to the front is Fan Kexin, and the

0:57:53 > 0:57:58United States athletes watched by the United States vice president

0:57:58 > 0:58:02sitting in the stands of. These two look as if they're dominating

0:58:02 > 0:58:06provided they can stay upright. There is work to do here for Kim

0:58:06 > 0:58:13Alang of Korea. There's quite a gap between them. And it is Fan Kexin

0:58:13 > 0:58:16leading the way... And she could be the one to beat, actually, in the

0:58:16 > 0:58:31500 metres! Fan Kexin of China leading them home.

0:58:31 > 0:58:33leading them home. Maame Biney of the United States safely through as

0:58:33 > 0:58:38well.

0:58:39 > 0:58:43well.Well, again, a superb piece of skating, much, much slower, almost

0:58:43 > 0:58:52half a second slower than Christie. 43.36 four Fan Kexin of China. So,

0:58:52 > 0:58:56half a second at this sort of distance is approximately seven or

0:58:56 > 0:59:06eight metres difference.Let's have a look at it again, a lot of

0:59:06 > 0:59:10pressure on Maame Biney, there's been a lot of media attention on her

0:59:10 > 0:59:14around the world, particularly at home in the United States, just 17

0:59:14 > 0:59:19years of age. But she handled the pressure well on her first Olympic

0:59:19 > 0:59:26outing.She did, blocking well, with Kim Alang trying to get through on

0:59:26 > 0:59:33the inside, making sure she had no room whatsoever.

0:59:34 > 0:59:37room whatsoever.So, Fan Kexin safely through. And it was never

0:59:37 > 0:59:48really in doubt. There's confirmation of the result.

0:59:48 > 0:59:54confirmation of the result. And now, it's Heat 6, the Chinese athlete on

0:59:54 > 1:00:01the right-hand side, from Italy, Martina Valcepina, newly crowned

1:00:01 > 1:00:04European champion in this distance at Tristan at the beginning of the

1:00:04 > 1:00:11year. From Canada, the 23-year-old Jamie Macdonald, and Tifany Huot

1:00:11 > 1:00:17Marchand of France, who finished 15th in the 500 metres at the recent

1:00:17 > 1:00:20European Championships, so she would be the outsider here.

1:00:25 > 1:00:314.5 laps of the track, a way to go. Martina Valcepina in tremendous

1:00:31 > 1:00:38form, the Italian. Valcepina leading the way, head of Han Yutong of

1:00:38 > 1:00:44China. Jamie MacDonald of Canada in third, a gap back. Now Jamie

1:00:44 > 1:00:47MacDonald has gone down, and amazingly Tifany Huot Marchand

1:00:47 > 1:00:52managed to avoid her. Not taken out in that incident.My goodness, she

1:00:52 > 1:00:56did well there. Valcepina leading the way for Italy. Ahead of Han

1:00:56 > 1:01:01Yutong. These two should comfortably go through as they take the bell,

1:01:01 > 1:01:05the time is important. They need to keep going as fast as they can. That

1:01:05 > 1:01:10would affect their position for the rest of the competition. Valcepina,

1:01:10 > 1:01:15just on the line but it was a photo finish, with Han Yutong closing

1:01:15 > 1:01:22fast. Jamie MacDonald is out of it in third place. On the ground and

1:01:22 > 1:01:24forth, Tifany Huot Marchand of France, finishing in third. She will

1:01:24 > 1:01:31not advance.It would be interesting to see what happens there. Of

1:01:31 > 1:01:36course, Jamie MacDonald came through up the inside, flashing her skates

1:01:36 > 1:01:42with Han Yutong of China. There could be an advancement?Let's have

1:01:42 > 1:01:48a look at that race replay. Valcepina in great form, straight to

1:01:48 > 1:01:55the front ahead of Han Yutong.We can see McDonald trying to get up

1:01:55 > 1:02:01the inside and clashing into the back of Han Yutong's skates. Almost

1:02:01 > 1:02:07colliding with the French skater and just missing it.It could have been

1:02:07 > 1:02:11nasty for two reasons, firstly it could have meant the French skater

1:02:11 > 1:02:17Bell but also these blades are excessively sharp. It could have

1:02:17 > 1:02:21been a nasty injury for the Canadian.She pulled her and back.

1:02:21 > 1:02:28So she did not skate over it -- she pulled back her arm.We do have a

1:02:28 > 1:02:35lot of video reviewing here. We had it in a good number of the races in

1:02:35 > 1:02:38the short track here. Let's have another look at the incident. Coming

1:02:38 > 1:02:49up now... You can see that there is a penalty. It goes to Jamie

1:02:49 > 1:02:54MacDonald of Canada. She was the skater who fell. Valcepina and Han

1:02:54 > 1:03:00Yutong going through.Again, remembering in that time, Elise

1:03:00 > 1:03:05Christie is by far the quickest in the 500 metres so far.Here we are,

1:03:05 > 1:03:11with heat seven, the Canadian overall cup winner in the 500 metres

1:03:11 > 1:03:18this season. In this one, alongside Polish Magdalena Warakomska. The

1:03:18 > 1:03:2619-year-old German student. Anna Seidel.

1:03:28 > 1:03:36Seidel. St Gelais leading the way. An amazing start. The girlfriend of

1:03:36 > 1:03:40the reigning Olympic 300 metre champion from Canada.St Gelais

1:03:40 > 1:03:48leading by a country mile. Anna Seidel tries to challenge. At the

1:03:48 > 1:03:54back, Magdalena Warakomska. They take the bell. This is a very

1:03:54 > 1:04:01dominant performance by St Gelais. Second in all three distances in

1:04:01 > 1:04:05last year's championships. She certainly means business that these

1:04:05 > 1:04:11Olympic Games. St Gelais takes it ahead of Anna Seidel of Germany, the

1:04:11 > 1:04:1819-year-old was 70th in this event back in 2014. The Netherlands's

1:04:18 > 1:04:25competitor in third. Warakomska of Poland bringing up the rear.A

1:04:25 > 1:04:30superb start, the Canadians dominating after seeing her

1:04:30 > 1:04:34team-mate receiving a penalty in the race before.It's a big gains for

1:04:34 > 1:04:39her, she plans to retire after Pyeongchang, a three-time Olympic

1:04:39 > 1:04:43silver medallist, can she make it to the top of the podium this time

1:04:43 > 1:04:48around? An impressive start from her here.Certainly, a bit of bumping

1:04:48 > 1:04:54and barging there.

1:04:54 > 1:04:56and barging there. Anna Seidel scrapes through on the inside, to go

1:04:56 > 1:05:04through to the quarterfinals. Looking so comfortable, St Gelais.

1:05:04 > 1:05:08At a top speed.There was no doubt about the winner of that race, from

1:05:08 > 1:05:14the moment they started.

1:05:15 > 1:05:17the moment they started. Well, Charlotte Gilmartin of Great Britain

1:05:17 > 1:05:20will be in heat number eight, confirmation of the result from heat

1:05:20 > 1:05:25seven.

1:05:26 > 1:05:29seven. Charlotte Gilmartin come out on the ice now. Europe in 500 metre

1:05:29 > 1:05:40bronze medallist last year. Petra Jaszapati of

1:05:40 > 1:05:43Jaszapati of Hungary, and the Olympic Athlete from Russia in this

1:05:43 > 1:05:52field, Emina Malagich. And the overall champion when she was 16,

1:05:52 > 1:05:59Choi Minjeong. Twice the overall world champion. Choi Minjeong is a

1:05:59 > 1:06:05big local favourite.

1:06:05 > 1:06:07big local favourite. Charlotte Gilmartin there. We are just having

1:06:07 > 1:06:12to wait for the skaters from the previous race, they appear to have

1:06:12 > 1:06:21lost their skate guards. The skaters will not get off the ice.That seems

1:06:21 > 1:06:26to be the delay. Charlotte is waiting to start this last 500

1:06:26 > 1:06:32metres.

1:06:32 > 1:06:35metres.What is going on here? Are they adamant that they will not walk

1:06:35 > 1:06:42on the carpet in those blades? Are they that finely tuned?Absolutely.

1:06:42 > 1:06:46It isn't like when we go skating at Christmas and we go clumping off at

1:06:46 > 1:06:51the ends. The guards are a very important part of their equipment,

1:06:51 > 1:06:55to protect those blades. After every race they going to the changing room

1:06:55 > 1:07:09and sharpen those blades. We can see there she is just

1:07:09 > 1:07:13there she is just waiting,, Marianne St Gelais. The officials are trying

1:07:13 > 1:07:17to get her off the ice and she says she is not getting off.Charlotte

1:07:17 > 1:07:22Gilmartin will have to wait a little longer, she is sliding around at the

1:07:22 > 1:07:28moment, gathering her thoughts. What chance do you give her in this heat?

1:07:28 > 1:07:35The 500 metres isn't one of her best distances. But she does have a

1:07:35 > 1:07:41fantastic start position.16th in the event four years ago. Charlotte

1:07:41 > 1:07:50Gilmartin there. On the inside... Petra Jaszapati of Hungary. Emina

1:07:50 > 1:07:56Malagich of Russia. There was a false start.I do think that was

1:07:56 > 1:08:02Malagich. Of Russia.

1:08:04 > 1:08:07Malagich. Of Russia. Races are only allowed one false starts and if

1:08:07 > 1:08:11anybody false starts the second time, they had to leave the ice.

1:08:11 > 1:08:14Charlotte has had to watch all of the other heats, they will wait

1:08:14 > 1:08:23until they are finished, and then have a second go.

1:08:23 > 1:08:29have a second go. Here we go... The eighth and final heat. Away they go

1:08:29 > 1:08:33this time. Jaszapati of Hungary makes a good start. Charlotte

1:08:33 > 1:08:36Gilmartin tries to hang onto second place. Choi Minjeong of career up

1:08:36 > 1:08:44into second. Jaszapati... Malagich, has a lot to do. Charlotte Gilmartin

1:08:44 > 1:08:49tries to close at. Jaszapati senses that Choi Minjeong is right on her

1:08:49 > 1:08:54shoulders. She skates past her. Great racing from Choi Minjeong.

1:08:54 > 1:09:00Charlotte Gilmartin has gone, all three are out! All three have been

1:09:00 > 1:09:04chasing Choi Minjeong. They are at a heap at the side of the track. It's

1:09:04 > 1:09:09who can get back into the race. Charlotte Gilmartin has clearly been

1:09:09 > 1:09:15injured in that crash. She is struggling to get going.

1:09:15 > 1:09:18struggling to get going. The winner, clearly, Choi Minjeong of South

1:09:18 > 1:09:24Korea, the only one who avoided falling. But it's bad news for

1:09:24 > 1:09:28Charlotte Gilmartin, she seems to have heard her right hip. Her right

1:09:28 > 1:09:35side as she skates around, slowly and forlornly. As we look there at

1:09:35 > 1:09:41Jaszapati of Hungary, the judges will have another look here.That's

1:09:41 > 1:09:46right, Malagich of Russia, the athlete from Russia, she tried to go

1:09:46 > 1:09:54up the inside, and started to fall. Here, hopefully this is the first

1:09:54 > 1:10:01bend. Charlotte was coming back on the leading skate. She was skating

1:10:01 > 1:10:06extremely well.

1:10:07 > 1:10:11extremely well. You can see Malagich tries to squeeze through the inside,

1:10:11 > 1:10:15taking Charlotte down with her and pushing her hands on the Hungarian

1:10:15 > 1:10:22skater, knocking her out of balance and all three go down.Charlotte

1:10:22 > 1:10:28Gilmartin clearly was not at fault there.Not at all. It will be

1:10:28 > 1:10:32interesting to see what happens here. It looks and appears from this

1:10:32 > 1:10:37angle of the camera that Malagich was the culprit. I think she knows

1:10:37 > 1:10:42it, because she has walked straight off the ice.It does look like

1:10:42 > 1:10:46Malagich caused the problem. It looks as though Jaszapati fell

1:10:46 > 1:10:51without contact.That's right. But if you look at it from a different

1:10:51 > 1:10:55angle, you can see Malagich, possibly even Charlotte puts her

1:10:55 > 1:11:06hand on Malagich's backside.We anxiously await a video review, to

1:11:06 > 1:11:10see Charlotte Gilmartin. It is so annoying, you work so hard for this

1:11:10 > 1:11:18opportunity and you can see that it wasn't a problem of her making here.

1:11:18 > 1:11:21It depends, there is a lot of controversy as to who is the culprit

1:11:21 > 1:11:26in this particular point. Malagich comes in on the inside and the

1:11:26 > 1:11:35question is, is she in front of Charlotte at that particular point?

1:11:35 > 1:11:40Still deep in debate. It has been a very busy table.Certainly. I would

1:11:40 > 1:11:46like to see with the physio repeat that they have a line, a clear line

1:11:46 > 1:11:55to define who is the lead skater or not -- Nvidia repeat.And do they

1:11:55 > 1:12:01base it on to what extent you left the door ajar?It's you changing

1:12:01 > 1:12:07your line. Charlotte came from the outside.We do have a decision...

1:12:07 > 1:12:13They teased us!

1:12:13 > 1:12:15They teased us! They added they would have a decision in a few

1:12:15 > 1:12:25seconds. Choi Minjeong, the Korean, was superb.

1:12:25 > 1:12:29was superb. Jaszapati of Hungary, finishing in second place. This is

1:12:29 > 1:12:33that incident again... You can see the hand on the back of the

1:12:33 > 1:12:36Hungarian, causing her to lose her balance. That was quite a smash for

1:12:36 > 1:12:43the other three. Gilmartin certainly had the wind taken from her sales

1:12:43 > 1:12:51for a few moments there. It is a penalty. Charlotte Gilmartin has

1:12:51 > 1:12:58been given a penalty, she has been disqualified. Choi Minjeong goes

1:12:58 > 1:13:06through. Jaszapati of Hungary goes through as well.Charlotte came from

1:13:06 > 1:13:12the outside and went to the inside. Disappointment for Charlotte and

1:13:12 > 1:13:15again, Choi Minjeong has stated a new Olympic world record in this

1:13:15 > 1:13:24heat. -- skated a new record.Elise Christie and Choi Minjeong supremely

1:13:24 > 1:13:28impressive, they are the fastest two in this first round of the ladies

1:13:28 > 1:13:36500 metres. The only race they will take part in today. STUDIO: A big

1:13:36 > 1:13:40thumbs down in the studio from Sarah

1:13:40 > 1:13:41take part in today. STUDIO: A big thumbs down in the studio from Sarah

1:13:41 > 1:13:45and John at the disqualification of Charlotte Gilmartin.It is a real

1:13:45 > 1:13:50shame.It was a horrible fall but you got the sense in those eight

1:13:50 > 1:13:53heats, you saw everything that short track speed skating can bring,

1:13:53 > 1:13:58making it a relief that Elise Christie stayed out of trouble.With

1:13:58 > 1:14:01Charlotte, we spoke before about trying to stay out of trouble. It

1:14:01 > 1:14:06came down to a 50-50 call. It is harsh but has a short track athlete,

1:14:06 > 1:14:10the girls know that it could happen to them. Charlotte couldn't shut

1:14:10 > 1:14:13that door quick enough but most importantly, she was skating great

1:14:13 > 1:14:18and going fast. She caught up and it bodes well for the next distances.

1:14:18 > 1:14:23She is better over 1000 and 1500. Talk us through that crash. Why do

1:14:23 > 1:14:27these things happen?

1:14:27 > 1:14:29Talk us through that crash. Why do these things happen?Everybody is

1:14:29 > 1:14:34out there trying to win. The top two qualify. The person in front is way

1:14:34 > 1:14:38ahead. The three behind are all going for the one spot. You have to

1:14:38 > 1:14:44take the risks, I guess. You need to get through clean, and all three

1:14:44 > 1:14:49have gone down. Hopefully, Charlotte isn't hurt and she can recover well.

1:14:49 > 1:14:52They must have decided that Charlotte leaning in on the Russian

1:14:52 > 1:14:56athlete causes the Russian athlete to put her hand on the Hungarian and

1:14:56 > 1:15:01therefore, the person who starts that effect, that is Charlotte,

1:15:01 > 1:15:10there?It is a 50-50 call, to be honest. It is a difficult one.It is

1:15:10 > 1:15:13difficult for Charlotte. She is trying to turn into that corner. The

1:15:13 > 1:15:17natural reaction is to put your hand across as you go in, you try and

1:15:17 > 1:15:21lean into the corner and keep your speed. The Russian came in there to

1:15:21 > 1:15:27take the spot.And it's a big relief to see Charlotte there all right. I

1:15:27 > 1:15:32wonder if she caught a blade in the chaos. Let's have a look at Elise

1:15:32 > 1:15:36Christie. We thought it would be the fastest time that actually she was

1:15:36 > 1:15:42outdone by the Korean skater by a fraction. Talk to me about how calm

1:15:42 > 1:15:46she looked and how strong she looked. Her start and the way she

1:15:46 > 1:15:52became so fluid straightaway?

1:15:54 > 1:15:57She got a great start, she got away really, really quick and out of

1:15:57 > 1:16:02trouble. There was some argy-bargy behind her which means she had a

1:16:02 > 1:16:08clear run almost to time trial it. Like Sarah sat, great speed off the

1:16:08 > 1:16:15start and then she was able to sit and relax and just keep an eye on

1:16:15 > 1:16:20things. You can see her coach on the side. As the other girls have

1:16:20 > 1:16:24started to catch up, but they weren't coming past.It is amazing

1:16:24 > 1:16:31balance, isn't it?I am learning loads of stuff from these two! I'm

1:16:31 > 1:16:37asking loads of questions! As someone who doesn't know anything,

1:16:37 > 1:16:43when you're watching, I'm sorry that people at home haven't got these

1:16:43 > 1:16:48two, when we are fair, we are asking all these questions! I wanted to

1:16:48 > 1:16:52know why her chin strap wasn't done up really tightly because I thought

1:16:52 > 1:16:58aerodynamically...What was the answer?It is in front of her neck

1:16:58 > 1:17:03and her shoulders, and when she is due to change direction she wants to

1:17:03 > 1:17:09have that little bit of... Don't worry, it is tight on her head.She

1:17:09 > 1:17:15looks phenomenal, she looks so strong. Any tension, prerace nerves

1:17:15 > 1:17:20and stuff, getting the first Olympic race out of the way, she's going to

1:17:20 > 1:17:26that, she's gone through with a flying time, so hopefully that's

1:17:26 > 1:17:30what she needed.And on Tuesday she will have the quarterfinals,

1:17:30 > 1:17:33semifinals, and final in quick succession, with very little time to

1:17:33 > 1:17:38think about it. So there is the danger that she might have been more

1:17:38 > 1:17:42nervous before this call than anything else?They've been out here

1:17:42 > 1:17:46for a couple of weeks planning, and they've been planning really since

1:17:46 > 1:17:49November, since the qualification competition, so there's been a lot

1:17:49 > 1:17:53of hard work and if there was any nerves, it would have been here. But

1:17:53 > 1:17:57the most important thing is that she has got the second fastest time and

1:17:57 > 1:18:03she will have lain one in the next round.That is the goal for her to

1:18:03 > 1:18:06keep that time coming in so that she can control the start. Because you

1:18:06 > 1:18:11can make your life easier? Absolutely.We can hear from Ellison

1:18:11 > 1:18:16herself now, she spoke to David McDaid. That was a start and a half,

1:18:16 > 1:18:21you got the Olympic record as well?! I know, crazy! I did not even feel

1:18:21 > 1:18:26like I was going Max. I went fast for the first lap and a half,

1:18:26 > 1:18:30because I had practised my start a lot before. And then after that I

1:18:30 > 1:18:34was just trying to maintain a good speed, so I can't complain. If I

1:18:34 > 1:18:40have got more to go than that, that's a good thing!We have seen

1:18:40 > 1:18:44know what happened at Sochi, how did you feel beforehand?I'm not going

1:18:44 > 1:18:48to lie, I don't think I have been nervous in about six years like

1:18:48 > 1:18:54that. It wasn't even like scared of my skating, I was just... I felt

1:18:54 > 1:18:58like, because everyone back home has waited so long to see me skate

1:18:58 > 1:19:02again, I was so nervous! I was like, I'm not going to do this because I'm

1:19:02 > 1:19:07so nervous! But actually it was fine and I got up to the line and I was

1:19:07 > 1:19:10excited and I'm just going to I got to race in front of everyone again.

1:19:10 > 1:19:13It looks like despite the nerves you've really put down a marker

1:19:13 > 1:19:17again, how much did you want to show the rest of the field what they are

1:19:17 > 1:19:25up against?You

1:19:25 > 1:19:27up against?You were there when I was suffering my injury and it has

1:19:27 > 1:19:30not gone well this year with the injury, so to come back and this is

1:19:30 > 1:19:33the first event since, I wanted to let everybody know I am back and I

1:19:33 > 1:19:37am back to full strength again, and I think I did that. I don't know if

1:19:37 > 1:19:40I have ended up with the fastest time but I am definitely up there. I

1:19:40 > 1:19:43think I have showed them I'm back! And that's not even your favourite

1:19:43 > 1:19:46event?No, it's my favourite because it is the most fun and it is over

1:19:46 > 1:19:52and done with so quick, but my best distance is the last one, the 1000m.

1:19:52 > 1:19:55So, I'm building into that, really. Trying to conserve some good

1:19:55 > 1:19:58training to keep building into that, so I'm not even at full fitness yet,

1:19:58 > 1:20:04I don't think!That was a fantastic start, your back on Tuesday

1:20:04 > 1:20:08hopefully for the following rounds up to the final - what do you do

1:20:08 > 1:20:13between now and then?I don't know, I just want to get it done, I want

1:20:13 > 1:20:17to go out and do it again because I feel quite the! But yes, just get

1:20:17 > 1:20:21some solid speed training done in the lead-up to it as a mother

1:20:21 > 1:20:25quarterfinals is going to be tough. I'm going to have to get off the

1:20:25 > 1:20:30line fast and get into the top eight and after that anything is possible.

1:20:30 > 1:20:34It is just getting the preparation in between done.Fantastic stuff,

1:20:34 > 1:20:41thank you very much.Thank you!I love hearing from Elise Christie

1:20:41 > 1:20:45because it is almost like she hasn't been media trained, there is no

1:20:45 > 1:20:49filter, she gives it all away just as we were saying beforehand,

1:20:49 > 1:20:53actually worse before qualification but now that is out of the way...

1:20:53 > 1:20:57Definitely, it is gametime now. She has got over there and enjoy that

1:20:57 > 1:21:02first race, big smile on her face, and now, this is where the real

1:21:02 > 1:21:06experience comes in. Because they're not used to having a long period

1:21:06 > 1:21:12between races. She has now got two days off and you will go again on

1:21:12 > 1:21:16Tuesday and she has been and done it before so she will know how to

1:21:16 > 1:21:23prepare.And you can see how easily it can go wrong, we lost Charlotte

1:21:23 > 1:21:27Gilmartin, and we have now lost Farrell Treacy as well. Sadly, no

1:21:27 > 1:21:29time to recover on this occasion. Second last, just losing his

1:21:29 > 1:21:34footing?Yeah, it is a real shame because it is his first experience

1:21:34 > 1:21:40of the Olympic Games. He has also got the 1000m. It is now up to him

1:21:40 > 1:21:46and the team to get him up for that 1000m. He has got a good break until

1:21:46 > 1:21:52Tuesday so that he can refocus. And I think that's where the great

1:21:52 > 1:21:56support staff they have got will make a big difference for him.These

1:21:56 > 1:22:01are the first semifinalists. There are three semifinals for the 1500m.

1:22:01 > 1:22:04Let's hand you back to Wilf O'Reilly and Simon Brotherton.

1:22:04 > 1:22:11SIMON BROTHERTON: Just in time for the semifinals of the men's 1500m.

1:22:11 > 1:22:22On the inside the Olympic jump in. Alongside him the leader of the next

1:22:22 > 1:22:30Canadian generation, with number three on his helmet.

1:22:30 > 1:22:34three on his helmet. The Olympic Athlete from Russia now sliding back

1:22:34 > 1:22:45into fifth. We've got the Australian fourth at the moment. The Latvian

1:22:45 > 1:22:54athlete was really impressive in qualifying, Roberts Zvejnieks.

1:22:54 > 1:22:56qualifying, Roberts Zvejnieks.The Canadians staying out of trouble.

1:22:56 > 1:23:05The other person to keep and eye on is

1:23:06 > 1:23:18is the Korean, is at the back of the field at the moment.

1:23:19 > 1:23:28As it really starts to wind up now...

1:23:30 > 1:23:36now... And the United States skater leads from the 2015 world champion.

1:23:36 > 1:23:49In third place is Francois Hamelin. First and second will go into the A

1:23:49 > 1:24:01final.Doing his best to stay out of trouble is JR Celski. And now going

1:24:01 > 1:24:06inside JR

1:24:07 > 1:24:11inside JR Celski... And there is a roar around the arena because the

1:24:11 > 1:24:16Korean athlete is really powering around the outside! On the rails,

1:24:16 > 1:24:21trying to force his way into this final is Seo Yira. And Semen

1:24:21 > 1:24:27Elistratov comes to the front! Semen Elistratov first over the line! Seo

1:24:27 > 1:24:31Yira in a photo finish the second place with Francois Hamelin! What a

1:24:31 > 1:24:38race! But Semen Elistratov really showed his class.He did, he was

1:24:38 > 1:24:40third at the European Championships overall three weeks ago, and that is

1:24:40 > 1:24:45a surprising

1:24:46 > 1:24:49a surprising performance by Semen Elistratov.Yeah, that was a bit of

1:24:49 > 1:24:55a turn-up. Seo Yira was the world champion in the 1000m last year, and

1:24:55 > 1:24:58the overall World Championship will that really is the biggest thing you

1:24:58 > 1:25:02can win as a speed skater, along with, of course, an Olympic title.

1:25:02 > 1:25:06It shows the ability that he has got. But he suddenly found life

1:25:06 > 1:25:11really difficult out there. WILF O'REILLY: There we can see

1:25:11 > 1:25:17moving through into fourth place, Charles Hamelin, almost being

1:25:20 > 1:25:22Charles Hamelin, almost being taken down by Samuel Girard, who was just

1:25:22 > 1:25:28almost losing an edge. The coach from Canada there. You can see

1:25:28 > 1:25:31Charles Hamelin squeezing through into second place! It will be quite

1:25:31 > 1:25:38interesting to see who in fact...It is a photo between four of them!

1:25:38 > 1:25:44Including the Australian!

1:25:44 > 1:25:47Including the Australian! The only clear outcome is that the Olympic

1:25:47 > 1:25:51Athlete from Russia crossed the line in first place. Here we go, has

1:25:51 > 1:25:55Charles Hamelin made it into the final? If he has it is by the skin

1:25:55 > 1:26:00of his teeth... Did he have the momentum hammered it was so close!

1:26:00 > 1:26:05Well, I would think that was Charles Hamelin, the Olympic champion at

1:26:05 > 1:26:11this distance. It may be a dead heat and if that is the case both will go

1:26:11 > 1:26:17through to the A final.What an absolutely thrilling race. There is

1:26:17 > 1:26:23the photo finish, and Charles Hamelin WILL have the chance to race

1:26:23 > 1:26:28to defend his title, I think. Because I think it was his skate

1:26:28 > 1:26:31that was in front of. They still haven't announced the official

1:26:31 > 1:26:38decision, but what a finish it. There is Peter worth, looking down,

1:26:38 > 1:26:43still a lot of work to do here, because, of course, Samuel Girard

1:26:43 > 1:26:50was taken down!Yeah, they're presumably looking at the incident

1:26:50 > 1:26:53where Samuel Girard hit the deck and slid off the track. There he is,

1:26:53 > 1:27:00Samuel Girard. Cloud will be hoping that he is rescued by video

1:27:00 > 1:27:02evidence, and maybe he could advance. We will have to wait and

1:27:02 > 1:27:09see, but Charles Hamelin there would become the oldest man to win a

1:27:09 > 1:27:13short-track medal if he manages to do so later in this session, at the

1:27:13 > 1:27:18age of 33. Has he done through? We still await official confirmation.

1:27:18 > 1:27:26They've got to get this right, the skaters for the second semifinal are

1:27:26 > 1:27:34out at the moment on the buzz as we take one more look at it, Wilf?

1:27:34 > 1:27:43There is a penalty, but they have not said, who are yet.May be JR

1:27:43 > 1:27:58Celski on the outside?JR Celski clipping Girard?Yep.And he knew it

1:27:58 > 1:28:00was worth waiting for, he wasn't going to go disappearing off to the

1:28:00 > 1:28:09changing room! And he is through! Semen Elistratov, Charles Hamelin

1:28:09 > 1:28:16and also the other one going through is Samuel Girard. And two others

1:28:16 > 1:28:21going through to the B final.That's correct. And that means we will have

1:28:21 > 1:28:24seven people in the final, and there's already two Canadians in the

1:28:24 > 1:28:36final.So, fastest two will qualify for the A final and the chance to go

1:28:36 > 1:28:42for gold. The 2016 world champion over 500m, on the right of the

1:28:42 > 1:28:44picture, Shaolin Sandor Liu. From the United States, John-Henry

1:28:44 > 1:28:53Krueger in this one as well, and the Dutch athlete on the left-hand side,

1:28:53 > 1:28:58six

1:28:59 > 1:29:04six time world champion, just moving around now into third place, Sjinkie

1:29:04 > 1:29:07Knegt.And Thibaut Fauconnet likes to go to the front in these kind of

1:29:07 > 1:29:13races. And Sjinkie Knegt moving around the outside again, he's the

1:29:13 > 1:29:18type of skater... And the Canadian athlete Pascal Dion on the outside.

1:29:18 > 1:29:22The Belgian skater is a long way back. But moving through to the

1:29:22 > 1:29:31front, Pascal Dion of Canada.So, leading the way is Pascal Dion from

1:29:31 > 1:29:36Canada, moving around the outside, trying to find a way through is

1:29:36 > 1:29:41John-Henry Krueger, who bases himself in the Netherlands. And

1:29:41 > 1:29:44Shaolin Sandor Liu finding a way through on the inside to go to the

1:29:44 > 1:29:49head of the race. Sjinkie Knegt is right there with him, and now most

1:29:49 > 1:29:53to the front. Sever the Dutchman leads, Netherlands first, Hungary

1:29:53 > 1:30:01second, Canada third at the moment, then USA. On the inside is the

1:30:01 > 1:30:05Belgian athlete with the yellow sleeve, Jens Almey, battling for the

1:30:05 > 1:30:11place.Seven laps to go and you can see all the skaters starting to

1:30:11 > 1:30:14Domino from the back, as John-Henry Krueger tries to go around the

1:30:14 > 1:30:19outside! And Sjinkie Knegt dominating this race, with just five

1:30:19 > 1:30:24laps to go!

1:30:24 > 1:30:29Sjinkie Knegt in the position he wanted to be in. Shaolin Sandor Liu

1:30:29 > 1:30:33has crashed out. Sjinkie Knegt leading the way. Hungarian Shaolin

1:30:33 > 1:30:43Sandor Liu in second place. A nifty move there. He goes down! After a

1:30:43 > 1:30:47tussle there with John-Henry Krueger, he finds himself at the

1:30:47 > 1:30:50back. Sjinkie Knegt's decision to go to the front and stay there has paid

1:30:50 > 1:30:56off, up to now. Suddenly, Thibaut Fauconnet of France fancies his

1:30:56 > 1:31:02chances of getting through here. Pascal Dion of Canada is in third.

1:31:02 > 1:31:07Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands up and over the line. I cannot believe

1:31:07 > 1:31:12it, a great skate to take second. Pascal Dion was third. We lost a

1:31:12 > 1:31:19big-name there, crashing to the ground.We did, and interesting

1:31:19 > 1:31:24call, if the referee decides after the race. Fauconnet is through to

1:31:24 > 1:31:30the final. As is Sjinkie Knegt. It's going to be very interesting indeed.

1:31:30 > 1:31:35Possibly now, with an advancement, yet again we have eight skaters in

1:31:35 > 1:31:44the final.And Liu, this will be interesting, won't it? As to whether

1:31:44 > 1:31:48he is able to advance as well. All but that the problem that he had is

1:31:48 > 1:31:58judged to have been his fault?John Henry Knox on his left shoulder. --

1:31:58 > 1:32:01knocked on his left shoulder. There is a collision with the Belgian

1:32:01 > 1:32:06skater.

1:32:08 > 1:32:11skater. But Sjinkie Knegt had no problem whatsoever. John Henry tries

1:32:11 > 1:32:15to block again, the same as Charlotte. Moving into the inside

1:32:15 > 1:32:25and not allowing Liu room to come through.

1:32:25 > 1:32:27through. The Canadian skater, rotating, over rotating, the speeds

1:32:27 > 1:32:34they go through the terms, they are approximately 50 kilometres per

1:32:34 > 1:32:37hour.Is extraordinary that Pascal Dion could stay upright there. It

1:32:37 > 1:32:45shows how skilled these skaters are. Knegt has his eyes on an Olympic

1:32:45 > 1:32:51gold. Is he the one out of everybody carrying the Dutch hopes here?I

1:32:51 > 1:33:00would have thought so, most definitely. In the last race, we

1:33:00 > 1:33:05have, from the Netherlands, the champion of the B finals, Itzhak De

1:33:05 > 1:33:10Laat. Every World Cup he has made it and won it. We are still waiting for

1:33:10 > 1:33:18an official result from this race. John-Henry Krueger there. Do you

1:33:18 > 1:33:24think he would be concerned at this moment in time?Possibly. Well, I

1:33:24 > 1:33:29think to deduct the Hungarian skater was clearly not pass. If you are

1:33:29 > 1:33:34next, it isn't a problem but from this angle, if the camera is 90

1:33:34 > 1:33:42degrees looking at the side, there is no room whatsoever.

1:33:42 > 1:33:45is no room whatsoever.Both skaters there, waiting to see who will have

1:33:45 > 1:33:55made it through. On a penalty, one skater will receive it and probably

1:33:55 > 1:34:02the other one advanced to the

1:34:02 > 1:34:10final. The referee's decision will hopefully come shortly... The

1:34:10 > 1:34:16coaches are all anxiously awaiting an outcome. The skaters for the

1:34:16 > 1:34:19third semifinal, they continue to warm up. There's a penalty to

1:34:19 > 1:34:31John-Henry Krueger. Of the United States. So, Liu of hungry advances.

1:34:31 > 1:34:38He goes through to the final. -- of hungry advances. And interesting

1:34:38 > 1:34:44call.The

1:34:45 > 1:34:48call.The referee has a different camera position to us. I thought

1:34:48 > 1:34:52John Henry was in front going into the bend. We can see the qualifiers

1:34:52 > 1:35:02to date... As we go into the third semifinal.On the inside of Korea,

1:35:02 > 1:35:10Lim Hyojun.

1:35:10 > 1:35:18Lim Hyojun. We also have Shaoang Liu, his brother has just completed.

1:35:18 > 1:35:23With a field like this, I guess it isn't entirely surprising that we

1:35:23 > 1:35:27have a false start. Everybody needs to make a good start on the first

1:35:27 > 1:35:33bend?Yes, normally we would have had six skaters in the semifinal. A

1:35:33 > 1:35:40false start, going too... I think it was the Korean skater on the inside,

1:35:40 > 1:35:45Lim. The referee will announce which skating position had a false

1:35:45 > 1:35:57start... The position six, with a false start.

1:35:59 > 1:36:0513.5 laps of this track. This is the third and final of the semifinals.

1:36:05 > 1:36:10In the men's 1500 metres. It promises to be a battle row. With

1:36:10 > 1:36:14two skaters more than we would normally expect, it would be more

1:36:14 > 1:36:21difficult for them to get round in 1-piece -- it will be a Battle

1:36:21 > 1:36:29Royale. You cannot race as a team in this, three from Korea and three

1:36:29 > 1:36:37from China.This is the blue riband event for the Koreans. And they

1:36:37 > 1:36:42still do not have any in the 1500 metre final. It is important that

1:36:42 > 1:36:47both of the Koreans make it through otherwise it would be a disaster of

1:36:47 > 1:36:52a start for their team.

1:36:58 > 1:37:09Coming around, Shaoang Liu of Hungary.

1:37:10 > 1:37:14Hungary.One of the next big things of the short track in South Korea,

1:37:14 > 1:37:22and he knows that he needs to be out in front, his team-mates coming. Lim

1:37:22 > 1:37:26Hyojun tries to go on the inside, but there is no room whatsoever. And

1:37:26 > 1:37:33it is still... Career on the front. A lot of bumping and barging. We

1:37:33 > 1:37:36knew that they were not all going to finish. That is how it is going to

1:37:36 > 1:37:44be. In a good position for the Netherlands, you have Itzhak De

1:37:44 > 1:37:50Laat. Lim Hyojun goes in front. De Laat clinging on to third place. He

1:37:50 > 1:37:55will be challenged by the French skater. With two laps to go.

1:37:55 > 1:38:04Sebastien Lepape. Leading the way, De Laat, at the

1:38:04 > 1:38:12front. De Laat of the Netherlands coming around in third position. The

1:38:12 > 1:38:19two Koreans lift the roof of the Gangneung Ice Arena. De Laat skating

1:38:19 > 1:38:23extremely well to finish in third place but the Koreans with a 1-2

1:38:23 > 1:38:29going into the final!As I said, it is the blue riband event for the

1:38:29 > 1:38:37Koreans. They needed it desperately to get two Koreans in the cut a

1:38:37 > 1:38:44final later this evening.You cannot underestimate this for the Koreans,

1:38:44 > 1:38:48they have won nearly half of the gold medal is awarded in short track

1:38:48 > 1:38:54skating since it was added to the Olympic programme. They have won

1:38:54 > 1:39:002148 gold medals here. That the crash which took out another one of

1:39:00 > 1:39:19the bigger names in this semifinal. Wu Dajing. Do you see any foul play?

1:39:19 > 1:39:25In the third semifinal, and qualifying for the Be semifinal,

1:39:25 > 1:39:30Itzhak De Laat.The current world champion didn't even make it into

1:39:30 > 1:39:33the Olympic team! That's how good they are. That is the strength and

1:39:33 > 1:39:38the depth that they happy, the host nation at these Olympic Games. Yet

1:39:38 > 1:39:42again, we go to the video evidence here. The judges have been

1:39:42 > 1:39:47incredibly busy, nothing they aren't used to in the sport.I think we

1:39:47 > 1:39:53need to get to a point where we can have a clear and defined line. In

1:39:53 > 1:39:57soccer, you play offside. Here we can see the Chinese candidate going

1:39:57 > 1:40:01from one side of the rink to the other. Nearly knocking Itzhak De

1:40:01 > 1:40:09Laat completely inside of the track. I do not think there is much of a

1:40:09 > 1:40:13chance of Wu Dajing advancing to the final, based on what we have just

1:40:13 > 1:40:24seen...So much speed, he tries to break but crashes into the padding.

1:40:24 > 1:40:29He doesn't think so, he isn't hanging around. It will be a very

1:40:29 > 1:40:33interesting call, there could even be one or two penalties dished out

1:40:33 > 1:40:38in the race. There is a lot to sort out and not surprising given that we

1:40:38 > 1:40:43had eight skaters.There isn't a lot of room on those bends, normally you

1:40:43 > 1:40:49have six, but a couple had been advanced. They have been victims of

1:40:49 > 1:40:54these incidents in previous rounds. Meaning that they were able to

1:40:54 > 1:41:00advance. Once more, the stadium awaits. An excellent sized crowd,

1:41:00 > 1:41:05not many empty seats inside of the Gangneung Ice Arena. A 12,000

1:41:05 > 1:41:11capacity stadium.

1:41:11 > 1:41:13capacity stadium. This is where I think South Korea feel that they

1:41:13 > 1:41:19will be collecting a large percentage of their medals from the

1:41:19 > 1:41:23games.Traditionally, that is what they have always done. The arena is

1:41:23 > 1:41:27packed here on the first night. Obviously, they are here to support

1:41:27 > 1:41:38their team skaters, picking up gold. A little delay at the moment, as we

1:41:38 > 1:41:41await official confirmation. That racing was exciting. The way to not

1:41:41 > 1:41:49quite so much. -- the wait. Wu Dajing is about to go hurtling

1:41:49 > 1:41:55across the screen, it's as though he lost his footing on the ice.He had

1:41:55 > 1:42:01so much speed. He tried to brake. His skate shop the wrong way, but it

1:42:01 > 1:42:06went outside to the inside.What is surprising, allowing for the fact

1:42:06 > 1:42:10that a number of skaters have fallen, far more have managed to

1:42:10 > 1:42:18stay upright in the middle of those incidents.

1:42:18 > 1:42:27incidents. Fees are almost dancing on ice -- these are almost dancing

1:42:27 > 1:42:34on ice.Is that Guus Hiddink in the crowd? He loves his sport, I

1:42:34 > 1:42:41remember seeing him at the Tour de France while he was still the

1:42:41 > 1:42:46manager of Chelsea!He is a national hero here in Korea.Of course, in

1:42:46 > 1:42:50the 2002 World Cup, they nearly went all the way to the final. We are

1:42:50 > 1:42:57still awaiting any official confirmation and come at the moment,

1:42:57 > 1:43:04him and Wang safely through.

1:43:05 > 1:43:12him and Wang safely through. That was the first block, Itzhak De Laat

1:43:12 > 1:43:14came through easily but Wu Dajing tries to cut from the right-hand

1:43:14 > 1:43:20side of the screen to the left hand side. From this angle, of course

1:43:20 > 1:43:27from left to right, it is going to be very, very interesting as to the

1:43:27 > 1:43:35decision there.And there was a barge

1:43:42 > 1:43:48involving Shaoang Liu on the Dutch skater?At the moment, we are not

1:43:48 > 1:43:53getting a camera view from directly down the straightaway. We are not

1:43:53 > 1:43:57seeing the same angle as the referees.The Dutch coach there and

1:43:57 > 1:44:03the assistant coach there.

1:44:04 > 1:44:07the assistant coach there. It certainly puts the time taken to get

1:44:07 > 1:44:11a decision from VAR into perspective in the football. Awaiting this.

1:44:11 > 1:44:17There is so much going on throughout the 13.5 laps.I think in future, we

1:44:17 > 1:44:22could

1:44:22 > 1:44:27could get rid of the referees on the ice, it would be better to just have

1:44:27 > 1:44:32the video referees.We are about ready for the result. Two penalties

1:44:32 > 1:44:39being announced any second now... They have obviously made a decision,

1:44:39 > 1:44:47and we will know any second now. Definitely two of the skaters have

1:44:47 > 1:44:59been disqualified. Wu Dajing has been disqualified.

1:45:02 > 1:45:06been disqualified. Itzhak De Laat of the Netherlands advancing as well.

1:45:06 > 1:45:12He goes through to the final as well.

1:45:12 > 1:45:17dominating this race, with just five laps to go!

1:45:17 > 1:45:21CLARE BALDING: There will be nine skaters in that 1500m final, so

1:45:21 > 1:45:26anything can happen!We have got time to catch up on what has been

1:45:26 > 1:45:32happening in the first run of

1:45:33 > 1:45:39happening in the first run of the men's luge.

1:45:45 > 1:45:55It has been 50-year is since they won the gold medal here in this

1:45:55 > 1:46:01event. He needs four consistent runs. He will need to be neater and

1:46:01 > 1:46:06quicker down the track, who John? Definitely. This is another part of

1:46:06 > 1:46:11the course which has been causing trouble, and we see there another

1:46:11 > 1:46:16mistake from these guys.

1:46:18 > 1:46:20mistake from these guys. The ice is really hard compared to when they

1:46:20 > 1:46:22came here last year due to

1:46:22 > 1:46:22really hard compared to when they came here last year due to the extra

1:46:22 > 1:46:29cold temperatures. He should start picking up speed here and picking up

1:46:29 > 1:46:33on the competitor who has just gone down in front of him and you can see

1:46:33 > 1:46:38now that he's starting to pull away, as he comes into the last corner.If

1:46:38 > 1:46:42you've lost your speed midway down, it is hard to get it back. And there

1:46:42 > 1:46:44you go.

1:46:53 > 1:46:55Kindl gets the new track record, although of course this is a very

1:46:55 > 1:47:03young track. The world champion, then, and that was a shake of the

1:47:03 > 1:47:08head from him, John?Yeah, he knew that mistake cost him. This one

1:47:08 > 1:47:11here, as he comes into the bend, he's having to work so hard to

1:47:11 > 1:47:15correct that and it is making more steering than he wants. This is

1:47:15 > 1:47:20going to be such a tight race, the last day of training, the top seven

1:47:20 > 1:47:29athletes were covered by 15 hundredths of a second.Here now for

1:47:29 > 1:47:33Germany, Johannes Ludwig, the third to go down, his first Olympics, the

1:47:33 > 1:47:37current number five in the world. Germany, of course, completely

1:47:37 > 1:47:42dominate this event and have done, with the exception of the great

1:47:42 > 1:47:47Armin Zoeggeler years for Italy, Germany very much the team to beat.

1:47:47 > 1:47:53And Ludwig has been impressive in training?He definitely has a, but

1:47:53 > 1:47:57so have all the Germans. You can just see that they've got a little

1:47:57 > 1:48:01bit more control in the sled, the way they steer it, they will use

1:48:01 > 1:48:06their shoulders and using their top like to do the steering. Keeping the

1:48:06 > 1:48:10speed in the bottom of the track after 12. Coming down into the big

1:48:10 > 1:48:18Olympic corner, where you see the Olympic logo. Building speed through

1:48:18 > 1:48:22the speed trap, over 80mph, these guys are really motoring down there.

1:48:22 > 1:48:31And Ludwig moves into first place, ahead of Kindl. That finishing

1:48:31 > 1:48:38speed, 131km/h, that is over 80mph. Ludwig, translating his excellent

1:48:38 > 1:48:43practice sessions over the last few days to this excellent run and he's

1:48:43 > 1:48:47pleased, he's very pleased. We should just point out, as you watch

1:48:47 > 1:48:51the replay, the last couple of Olympics, from day one, you needed

1:48:51 > 1:48:55to be in the first three to get a medal. It is THAT important to get a

1:48:55 > 1:49:00great start, and on this track, especially, it is so important to be

1:49:00 > 1:49:08consistent over the four runs. Here nurdles because all Felix Loch,

1:49:08 > 1:49:13incredible to be calling him great aged just 28, but he has won the

1:49:13 > 1:49:17last two Olympic Games. A brilliant talent, from Germany. And if he can

1:49:17 > 1:49:21win gold here this week, he will replicate the achievements of his

1:49:21 > 1:49:25wonderful compatriot Georg Hackl, who won three on the bounce for

1:49:25 > 1:49:33Germany. So, Loch is under way. Such a classy exponent of the art of luge

1:49:33 > 1:49:38- what do you make of his start, John Jackson?Yeah, he's had a great

1:49:38 > 1:49:43start, nice and smooth. Squeezing his legs, using the top leg to steer

1:49:43 > 1:49:48around the corner, didn't get the optimum line out there but

1:49:48 > 1:49:52everything looks good so far. You can see him starting to build speed.

1:49:52 > 1:49:58Let's see what his line is like... He's been good in training... Yep.

1:49:58 > 1:50:03Nailed the straight, as he closes in on the big G-force corner. Just

1:50:03 > 1:50:06starting to pull away. Real smooth lines as he comes up to the final

1:50:06 > 1:50:13corner.Loch very strong at the finish here... Straight into the

1:50:13 > 1:50:18lead! Now, that, the mark of an Olympic championship and you can see

1:50:18 > 1:50:23his coach is very, very satisfied with that. What a great start for

1:50:23 > 1:50:28the great Felix Loch.He is a guy who can handle the pressure, he's

1:50:28 > 1:50:31Olympic champion, he has got three gold medals, he knows what it is

1:50:31 > 1:50:36like to handle this pressure.So important to get a good start, the

1:50:36 > 1:50:40power as you pad all away from the start. I thought he was very high

1:50:40 > 1:50:46John, but it ended up being a decent line?Yeah, it was quite high and

1:50:46 > 1:50:49you saw how the sled looked like it slid out of the corner rather than

1:50:49 > 1:50:53doing straightforward. All of that costs you time and ultimate top

1:50:53 > 1:50:58speed.

1:50:58 > 1:51:02speed.This is Roman Repilov, a 21-year-old, I saw him training at

1:51:02 > 1:51:07the start of the week double he made big mistakes. I saw him training

1:51:07 > 1:51:11yesterday, he looked as though he had learned a lot of lessons, he's

1:51:11 > 1:51:17talented, John?And this is his first Games, so can he handle the

1:51:17 > 1:51:22pressure of what those five rings bring to the sport? He's just not

1:51:22 > 1:51:28settled into his rhythm just yet, although he is only 27 thousandths

1:51:28 > 1:51:34back, which is not much. It's just whether he can keep up as he goes

1:51:34 > 1:51:39further down the track. Coming into nine, this is key, he needs to be

1:51:39 > 1:51:48straight... And he a drilled that, coming into 13 now, big G corner,

1:51:48 > 1:51:53everything's looking good. He has just started to drop off Felix Loch

1:51:53 > 1:51:57a little bit but he's going to keep himself in contention.Let's see

1:51:57 > 1:52:03where he matches up to Loch... He's a tenth of a second behind, that's a

1:52:03 > 1:52:06fairly big gap, even after round one, the youngster from Russia has

1:52:06 > 1:52:12now got work to do to get Loch back, and there are still plenty more

1:52:12 > 1:52:17talented luge athletes to come in this first 10-12. To reiterate,

1:52:17 > 1:52:21you're watching right now the best in the world. Whatever happens this

1:52:21 > 1:52:26week Repilov has got a big future. Yes, has, definitely. You can see

1:52:26 > 1:52:28how they're using their legs to steer, and this is the difference

1:52:28 > 1:52:35between Loch and the guy who is on the sled at the moment. You can see

1:52:35 > 1:52:38what they're doing on the sled to achieve the different lines.

1:52:38 > 1:52:42Ultimately is one faster than the other hammered you could say so but

1:52:42 > 1:52:46it is about getting the best for you and your equipment to get the

1:52:46 > 1:52:52ultimate speed for yourself.

1:52:52 > 1:52:54ultimate speed for yourself.Now, 23-year-old David Gleirscher from

1:52:54 > 1:53:01Austria, making his Olympic debut, ranked number 12 in the world

1:53:01 > 1:53:07standings. Edible, we saw training together this week, John, he's

1:53:07 > 1:53:13capable of some fast times down this track?-- capable. A lot of these

1:53:13 > 1:53:17athletes are, but that is training when there is no pressure on... Now,

1:53:17 > 1:53:22it is race day and it is a whole different ball game to training. And

1:53:22 > 1:53:26he's just not quite at it, he seems to be sliding off the corners a

1:53:26 > 1:53:29little bit and not quite getting the ultimate line. You can see how much

1:53:29 > 1:53:36he's working. Great line into 12, just losing time all their way down

1:53:36 > 1:53:41and it's because he's not coming off the exit directly, he's a sort of

1:53:41 > 1:53:46sliding off, and that's costing him time.Picking up a little bit

1:53:46 > 1:53:51towards the uphill section for Gleirscher, into the final bend...

1:53:51 > 1:53:55And there we go! He found some great speed towards the bottom of the

1:53:55 > 1:53:59track, and he nips himself ahead of Loch! We saw flashes of this earlier

1:53:59 > 1:54:05in the week. His problem I think, John, is going to be consistency -

1:54:05 > 1:54:09he now needs three more of the same. He has shown in the past that he has

1:54:09 > 1:54:13not quite done it consistently, but what a start.Evidently. When you

1:54:13 > 1:54:16look at the sled and you see it sliding off corners rather than

1:54:16 > 1:54:19coming straight out of, which usually means it would slow down,

1:54:19 > 1:54:24but he has found some speed and maybe that's his style and it works

1:54:24 > 1:54:31for him.Confirmation of the leaderboard.

1:54:31 > 1:54:35leaderboard. Here, then, Adam Rosen for Great Britain! Come on, Adam!

1:54:35 > 1:54:4316th place at Vancouver and also Turin.

1:54:45 > 1:54:48Turin.Yeah, AJ has been a great ambassador for luge for Great

1:54:48 > 1:54:55Britain. And he really enjoys and loves the sport, and his run so far

1:54:55 > 1:55:02is not too bad. Just a little bit of a slide there, and that is a good

1:55:02 > 1:55:10line. You can just see him tweaking his feet to try and keep control...

1:55:10 > 1:55:14But this is a good run, it looks smooth, it looks in the right place,

1:55:14 > 1:55:17it's just whether or not the British equipment is up to the standard of

1:55:17 > 1:55:22the top guys. He maybe took a little bit of a tap there, you could hear

1:55:22 > 1:55:27the crowd. But 25th is not where he is expecting to be. Positionally,

1:55:27 > 1:55:32again published looked OK for most of the way - not enough speed.

1:55:32 > 1:55:35Whether they've gone for the wrong runner choice for this type of

1:55:35 > 1:55:39equipment and maybe thought it was going to be a little bit older or a

1:55:39 > 1:55:43little bit warmer. Having the wrong runners on your sled is like having

1:55:43 > 1:55:49the wrong tyres on a Formula 1 car. The speed just wasn't there. That is

1:55:49 > 1:55:56a great view coming into it, and that's where the

1:55:56 > 1:55:58that's where the photographs saddling photographers will stand to

1:55:58 > 1:56:02get great pictures. When you have a run like that and you've got, does

1:56:02 > 1:56:06not really much you can do about it and you've just got to go to the top

1:56:06 > 1:56:13and try again.And our second representative now, Rupert

1:56:13 > 1:56:17Staudinger - how has he been, you have spoken to him a couple of times

1:56:17 > 1:56:21this week?He seems happy enough, he's enjoying the environment, I

1:56:21 > 1:56:25don't know whether he has fully got to grips with the track yet. He is

1:56:25 > 1:56:28just here to enjoy the Olympic experience and do the best he can...

1:56:28 > 1:56:33As he makes a mistake straightaway. And that was just from that little

1:56:33 > 1:56:37shift onto the sled. He's got a lower line, maybe that's because he

1:56:37 > 1:56:42just hasn't got the speed. But this is what happens at this level, these

1:56:42 > 1:56:47guys with limited experience, they're trying 110%, which sometimes

1:56:47 > 1:56:50is 10% too much, and that's what causes mistakes, and it is

1:56:50 > 1:56:55unfortunate for Rupert. He needs to put it behind him and come back for

1:56:55 > 1:57:00the next run and try and sort it out. But that's not a bad line into

1:57:00 > 1:57:0312, so it shows that he can drive and he understands the bottom of the

1:57:03 > 1:57:07track. He's just a sliding around a little bit so whether he has gone

1:57:07 > 1:57:11for quite a small contact patch... He's just not getting the optimum

1:57:11 > 1:57:18lines. He's just sliding about too much. He's going to be upset with

1:57:18 > 1:57:23that and he knows that he messed up at the start.John, you've waited

1:57:23 > 1:57:27all your life to get to an Olympic Games and his 20, and within ten

1:57:27 > 1:57:36metres, it's game over.Yep. But that's what makes the Winter

1:57:36 > 1:57:40Olympics so different to the summer - if in a world champion could do

1:57:40 > 1:57:44that. It could happen to one of these experienced guys, it can

1:57:44 > 1:57:48happen to anybody, in any of the events. People have tripped and

1:57:48 > 1:57:53slipped over, because snow and ice is slippery and it causes accidents.

1:57:53 > 1:57:58And this is so unfortunate. He knows about point, he just wants to get

1:57:58 > 1:58:02off - let me have another go!Poor old Rupert.

1:58:02 > 1:58:06off - let me have another go!Poor old Rupert. Claire label Rupert

1:58:06 > 1:58:15ended up in 30 Third Place, Adam Rosen in 23rd.

1:58:19 > 1:58:25Rosen in 23rd. -- in 33rd place. That second run on the luge will be

1:58:25 > 1:58:29coming up shortly on BBC Two. And we will be reflecting on the

1:58:29 > 1:58:35performance of Elise Christie, who came safely through her qualifying

1:58:35 > 1:58:39heat further 500m, winning the hit. It was an Olympic record at the

1:58:39 > 1:58:42time, although it did not last long, but she's second quickest after

1:58:42 > 1:58:49qualifying. Most importantly, having seen what