:01:00. > :02:03.The Ice Cube will be rocking today as the first
:02:04. > :02:03.The Ice Cube will be rocking today believe in fate lust and Britain won
:02:04. > :02:13.four believe in fate lust and Britain won
:02:14. > :02:27.games in Chamonix and the British men took
:02:28. > :02:38.games in Chamonix and the British it is 12 years exactly to the date
:02:39. > :05:50.Men's ice hockey semifinal date with a couple of friendly rivalries on
:05:51. > :05:55.the agenda, Finland play Sweden then later it is the USA versus Canada.
:05:56. > :06:04.The final day of the women's Alpine ski programme with a slalom, Tina
:06:05. > :06:10.maze looking to become the second person to win gold in three games.
:06:11. > :06:15.Dave Murdoch and his boys go for gold in the curling.
:06:16. > :06:25.In terms of the timetable, so you can plan your afternoon, this is
:06:26. > :06:35.what it looks like. The first run of the women's slalom at 1245. The big
:06:36. > :06:40.aim at 1:30pm. First we are going to the ice hockey.
:06:41. > :06:51.This is where the fate of the Russian national team will be
:06:52. > :06:58.decided. He scores!
:06:59. > :07:14.Absolutely incredible. Wonderful finish. He silences them all. Canada
:07:15. > :07:18.has advanced to the semifinals. Finland are on their way to the
:07:19. > :07:21.semifinals as Russia crash out. Sweden will move on in their
:07:22. > :07:29.semifinals. Canada will play America.
:07:30. > :07:35.It was Finland who broke the Russians Hearts knocking them out in
:07:36. > :07:41.the quarterfinal stage. They are up against that quarterfinal rivals,
:07:42. > :07:44.Sweden. Canada came back from the dead last night to beat the United
:07:45. > :08:00.States in overtime. USA versus Canada at 5pm for top without any
:08:01. > :08:05.further ado let's head over. COMMENTATOR: Almost three minutes in
:08:06. > :08:12.as we see an opportunity for Daniel Sedin. That man in the centre of
:08:13. > :08:21.your screen, he starts this game, that is a big blow for Finland
:08:22. > :08:26.because their main man was taken ill overnight. He is not included. He
:08:27. > :08:33.has been a key component of their successful . They will have to turn
:08:34. > :08:41.to their number two if they are to have success against the Swedes who
:08:42. > :08:46.are yet to lose. How big an impact does that have?
:08:47. > :08:52.I don't think it does as much as you might believe, even though losing
:08:53. > :08:58.the number one goal-tender would seem it, as you see the shock coming
:08:59. > :09:09.in. There is Kari Lehtonen taking the say. If the Swedes were to lose
:09:10. > :09:15.Henrik Blomquist, that would be a bigger blow.
:09:16. > :09:26.This is a repeat of the final in 2006, where Sweden won both 3-2,
:09:27. > :09:29.this is held on by Kari Lehtonen, under pressure. They had to come
:09:30. > :09:37.from behind in that game in order to win it.
:09:38. > :09:49.Good work again, they get pressure in front. He shimmies that one. To
:09:50. > :09:58.the side of the net it goes, safety first from Kari Lehtonen who will
:09:59. > :10:05.hang onto that one. And there you look at Granlund. He
:10:06. > :10:10.played in his first winter in the games in 1992. -- winter Olympic
:10:11. > :10:29.games. We will have a two-minute penalty
:10:30. > :10:32.for hiking. -- looking. Sweeper will find themselves killing a penalty.
:10:33. > :10:43.It allows the Finns a chance to get themselves in the offensive zone.
:10:44. > :10:56.Aaltonen, quite a bit of physicality. A quick whistle,
:10:57. > :11:06.setting the screen out in front. This finish campaign has been built
:11:07. > :11:15.on discipline. They know what the coaching staff want from them. That
:11:16. > :11:26.is absolutely crucial. Teemu Selanne , again, just wide. Two great
:11:27. > :11:36.chances for Finland. He has the control of his skates. Away it goes,
:11:37. > :11:49.down the ice. Granlund. Teemu Selanne comes into the zone. Shows
:11:50. > :11:52.some good confidence there. The Finnish team are very confident and
:11:53. > :12:07.calm, particularly on the power play. They are right there all the
:12:08. > :12:10.time. That foresees Kari Lehtonen to
:12:11. > :12:28.handle it again. That was a nice pass. Get it back.
:12:29. > :12:37.Pretty close. Trying to find the range here. It may well allow the
:12:38. > :12:44.Swedish team to have a chance, they come forward.
:12:45. > :12:55.He had a chance there, Loui Eriksson.
:12:56. > :13:06.Sami Lepisto already has a goal in this tournament. Finland will
:13:07. > :13:18.continue to come forward. That was pretty close, Lundqvist's left post.
:13:19. > :13:21.Good spell by the Finnish team to carry some offensive momentum and
:13:22. > :13:26.put some pressure back against the Swedish side who have come out here
:13:27. > :13:31.and try to lay down dominance. A strong shot. That is claimed well
:13:32. > :13:43.by Kari Lehtonen. Just nicely getting himself involved
:13:44. > :13:46.in this one, coming up to six minutes gone in the first period, he
:13:47. > :13:57.has felt the pup a few times, he has been able to secure the puck. He has
:13:58. > :14:06.made sure that his defences remain calm.
:14:07. > :14:22.He doesn't find Daniel Alfredsson. Erik Karlsson has been quiet so far.
:14:23. > :14:26.Good interchange of passes. Tipped all the way down, high stick, going
:14:27. > :14:33.to be called if Alfredsson touches, which he does. We have a whistle
:14:34. > :14:38.here, a break in play, you are not allowed to play a high puck with the
:14:39. > :14:47.stick. It means you get a whistle to try to present players getting
:14:48. > :14:54.smashed in the face with the stick. That silly offensive zone. Teemu
:14:55. > :15:00.Selanne, an incredible statistic. The oldest to score a goal in the
:15:01. > :15:05.Olympic Games tournament. He is the leader in Olympic scoring and has 41
:15:06. > :15:09.points. He is the oldest to do it. He will be the oldest as he is
:15:10. > :15:14.looking away again to potentially win a medal. If they do not win
:15:15. > :15:21.today they will have a crack at it in the bronze medal match.
:15:22. > :15:33.Getting it done at his age. And having fun as well. Fantastic to
:15:34. > :15:42.see. When he has a goal-scoring opportunity, when they come his
:15:43. > :15:50.way, he fires them hard at the nets. Not a full building as yet. The fans
:15:51. > :15:54.seem to drift in very late. Potentially the appetite for the
:15:55. > :15:58.hockey has gone out of the competition with Russia are being
:15:59. > :16:01.taken out by Finland in the quarterfinal stage. There has been
:16:02. > :16:08.great attendance throughout the tournament for the women. This is
:16:09. > :16:12.probably the less sexy of the two semifinals. However, it is an
:16:13. > :16:28.absolute cracker and some would back the winner to come from this.
:16:29. > :16:41.The pair are working on the right side. That was a nice pass. It was a
:16:42. > :16:47.good touch by Jonathan Ericsson. Could not get enough power on it to
:16:48. > :16:53.cause a big problem for Finland. Finland have had to work hard. They
:16:54. > :16:58.have conceded three times in the power play. They do not take many
:16:59. > :17:01.penalties. They have taken eight in total. They have conceded three
:17:02. > :17:37.times. It is like a chess match watching
:17:38. > :17:44.these two. There is so much excitement, in the past 24 hours, in
:17:45. > :17:50.the women's tournament. The men have a lot to live up to. I am not sure
:17:51. > :17:54.they could have handled the excitement the women were generating
:17:55. > :17:58.if they played for the entire tournament will stop they only
:17:59. > :18:06.played for one day and blew the lid off.
:18:07. > :18:17.These sides do not look nervous. They look extremely disciplined.
:18:18. > :18:23.Daniel Alfredsson. A real leader on the Swedish side. He is contributing
:18:24. > :18:25.with two goals, two assists will stop another in the 40 years plus
:18:26. > :18:38.club. He moved in his attempt to try to
:18:39. > :18:47.win a cup. It has taken him away from his roommate, Eric Carlson, who
:18:48. > :18:53.still plays in Ottawa. He could be a key to success. That was tipped. It
:18:54. > :19:15.was a high stick from Alexander Steen. A moment of little danger.
:19:16. > :19:30.He went with the one time. Henrik Lundqvist was there. Alexander Steen
:19:31. > :19:35.has started well. That would not have counted. It was above the line
:19:36. > :19:42.of his shoulders. The shoulders and the crossbar, the benchmarks. He
:19:43. > :19:46.asked who he wanted to be assigned against in the Swedish team and he
:19:47. > :19:56.asked, who are the Swedes? A little bit of mind games. We know how close
:19:57. > :20:05.it will be. It should be a very tight game. Battling hard on the
:20:06. > :20:12.boards. Trying to get something done.
:20:13. > :20:24.That was a good shot. Leo Komarov. A glimpse of an opening. That was
:20:25. > :20:31.tipped by Loui Eriksson. A good save. Tremendous saves at both
:20:32. > :20:38.ends. The deflections are difficult to respond to. That was a
:20:39. > :21:09.point-blank shot. Henrik Lundqvist hat two double attempt that.
:21:10. > :21:24.Finland 's deep inside their own zone. That was double clutched
:21:25. > :21:28.again. Henrik Lundqvist did not look too solid, but there he looks a
:21:29. > :21:35.little better, as he throws the catching glove out to make the save.
:21:36. > :21:48.That was much more convincing on the second attempt. Jokinen, feeling he
:21:49. > :21:57.was dumped. Leo Komarov, Russian born, playing for the Finland
:21:58. > :22:03.national team. It was taken off what they call a cheater on the glove.
:22:04. > :22:09.Just protecting the wrist. Leo Komarov, more of a defensive player.
:22:10. > :22:14.An effective part of their defensive approach against the Russians. This
:22:15. > :22:32.is the other end. Loui Eriksson. He gets a touch. Lehtera comfortably
:22:33. > :22:40.making the save -- Kari Lehtonen. They miss Henrik Sedin without a
:22:41. > :22:48.doubt, Sweden. Daniel Alfredsson is the elder statesman. He will be
:22:49. > :22:54.counted on to lead the offensive line up.
:22:55. > :23:03.The face-off is in the Swedish zone and neither side has yet to trouble
:23:04. > :23:15.the scorers. This man could do that. Erik Karlsson.
:23:16. > :23:29.Icing will be called. It has been a little bit ugly so far. Not
:23:30. > :23:33.free-flowing and not as end-to-end as we would like up here, from a
:23:34. > :23:38.neutral standpoint, but they are sticking to their game plans. The
:23:39. > :23:42.Finland and Canada game was probably the best I have seen in the
:23:43. > :23:49.tournament, not necessarily the most compelling. The nature of how it was
:23:50. > :23:50.played and how tight it was and how they skated. So few mistakes in that
:23:51. > :24:23.game. Sweden tried to create something.
:24:24. > :24:42.That was the lines man coming in, suggesting. Since 1988, no team has
:24:43. > :24:48.gone undefeated has gone on to won the metal. That is a strange to to
:24:49. > :25:21.-- strange statistic. Niklas Kronwall Al Gore as the --
:25:22. > :25:25.Niklas Kronwall, he was one of the scorers last time. If you talk about
:25:26. > :25:38.the biggest legends in Swedish hockey history. Very clinical the
:25:39. > :25:45.goal that day. Inside the third period, a dropped pass will stop it
:25:46. > :25:52.was a one time. This man came in from the blue line and was in a
:25:53. > :25:57.tight space. He was able to slice it in and release an 18 foot shot to
:25:58. > :26:19.get the second. It was a big momentum swinger on the day.
:26:20. > :26:29.It is good offensive play, to cause the turnover here. Sweden trying to
:26:30. > :26:37.create. But another penalty. Very interesting, he got fed up with the
:26:38. > :26:41.player on him. Finland-not seen them in a game where they have -- I have
:26:42. > :26:50.not seen where they have been challenged to maintain possession in
:26:51. > :26:57.their own zone. He was like a bad rash all over him, not letting him
:26:58. > :27:00.get anywhere. He took exception. We remember him for the goal against
:27:01. > :27:07.the Czech Republic when the Swedes were on fire in the first period and
:27:08. > :27:22.he ripped one from the short side. Showing the Swedish pedigree on the
:27:23. > :27:29.day. Finland go on the power play, playing with one extra man for the
:27:30. > :27:48.next 1.45. It is their second of the period. Did that catch a Swedish
:27:49. > :27:52.player? He turns around and fires. Coaches in training sessions, they
:27:53. > :28:02.expect coaches to wear helmets during training. You need your
:28:03. > :28:06.safety on the bench also. I cannot imagine too many coaches would enjoy
:28:07. > :28:17.that. I would not have thought they would. That was a huge elbow on
:28:18. > :28:26.Teemu Selanne. This is going to be another penalty against the Swedes.
:28:27. > :28:31.They are losing discipline. His arm came up and it appeared to connect.
:28:32. > :28:40.But Niklas Kronwall does not like the call. He went right into him to
:28:41. > :28:47.compete, as soon as he lost his stick. Teemu Selanne uses his mind,
:28:48. > :29:10.Niklas Kronwall uses strength. They are trying to feed Teemu
:29:11. > :29:26.Selanne. Mikael Granlund, with a past that is
:29:27. > :29:27.blocked and after getting quality possession they have to reset on the
:29:28. > :29:49.blue line. That was a chance. The deflection
:29:50. > :29:58.was too much. That was a great save. Henrik Lundqvist, he somehow got his
:29:59. > :30:02.pad to that and kept it out. He came across and got the right pad down
:30:03. > :30:11.early. Teemu Selanne did not receive it cleanly. Henrik Lundqvist with
:30:12. > :30:27.age amend a save. -- with a tremendous save. Long rebound. Five
:30:28. > :30:41.four remains. He winds up, deflects off the skates. The Swedes have
:30:42. > :30:44.woken up in a bad mood. They are blocking shots, getting in the
:30:45. > :30:51.shooting lanes and disrupting a couple of great opportunities, as
:30:52. > :30:55.this is the one where Teemu Selanne didn't get quite what he wanted on
:30:56. > :31:00.it as Lundqvist gets his pad behind the post and Teemu Selanne ends up
:31:01. > :31:06.pushing it towards the goal rather than fire it through the shooting
:31:07. > :31:13.motion. A wonderful piece of netminding.
:31:14. > :31:24.From King Henrik as he is known in New York. Sweden are back to full
:31:25. > :31:31.strength. They have killed off this penalty. They have done it pretty
:31:32. > :31:35.well. Plenty of pressure. The real good chances, only one of them
:31:36. > :31:46.forced a big save out of Lundqvist. That was important.
:31:47. > :31:51.A very impressive penalty kill. Lundqvist, the best penalty killer.
:31:52. > :32:07.They were right on it. Finland tried to build out of their
:32:08. > :32:24.own zone. He puts the pressure on the Finns.
:32:25. > :32:34.Silfverberg, he snaps this one in. There are still no goals here.
:32:35. > :32:43.Sweden are reasoning their way back in. We haven't seen as much of Erik
:32:44. > :32:55.Karlsson in this period as we have throughout the tournament. He has
:32:56. > :32:59.been outstanding. He is leading his team in the overall point in this
:33:00. > :33:03.tournament. There has been so much offensive scoring from the blue
:33:04. > :33:11.line, as we mentioned on the onset. Those two players have been leading
:33:12. > :33:13.from the back. Erika Westall and, he was part of a coaching team. Head
:33:14. > :33:37.coach as well that day. Five players still remaining from
:33:38. > :33:41.that squad in Turin. That 2006 line-up. Although they have faced
:33:42. > :33:45.each other in Vancouver, it wasn't for a medal, it was in the group
:33:46. > :33:51.stages. The Swedes also winning on that day. Calm character on the
:33:52. > :34:03.left-hand side. He is allowing his assistance to make an emphatic point
:34:04. > :34:05.with the referee and linesman. The American official, had a good
:34:06. > :34:20.tournament. Sweden are doing a great job. They
:34:21. > :34:24.will put pressure on hard here. The assertion from the Swedish coaching
:34:25. > :34:31.staff the defence don't move well enough, they need to put the
:34:32. > :34:46.pressure on and see what happens. They have Olli Maatta.
:34:47. > :34:54.Alexander Steen. Sami Salo can make plays but he is
:34:55. > :34:59.on the backside of his career. Kimmo Timonen can equally make mistakes.
:35:00. > :35:03.They are better to play at pace. That is the style, when they played
:35:04. > :35:08.against the Canadians, it suited them quite well. The Swedes will
:35:09. > :35:14.draw you out, where you out, take them out of their comfort zone.
:35:15. > :35:19.They will be quite calm if it remains 0-0 at the end of the first
:35:20. > :35:29.period. Jonathan Eric one -- Jonathan Ericsson sends this to his
:35:30. > :35:34.team-mate. And now Loui Eriksson. She Nicklas Backstrom.
:35:35. > :35:42.Plenty of traffic just in front. Finland are finding it so hard to
:35:43. > :35:48.clear their lines, that is credit to Sweden who have played so well as
:35:49. > :36:04.Teemu Selanne East spins off. Stop start move.
:36:05. > :36:18.Here is Olli Maatta, kept that really well. Kept it for foreigners.
:36:19. > :36:24.-- far enough. He plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins, a superstar of
:36:25. > :36:28.the future. Two goals to assist, very much emerging as the number one
:36:29. > :36:41.defence player with the Finnish team.
:36:42. > :36:53.Working hard to get it out of the corner. Here is Olli Maatta again.
:36:54. > :37:02.Doesn't get it out of the zone. They go on a line change. That is held in
:37:03. > :37:14.again, workrate very impressive. Very impressive from Kari Lehtonen
:37:15. > :37:23.as well. He is wanting to get up piece of Teemu Selanne if he can.
:37:24. > :37:35.It is a hard-working game between these two sides. It opens all the
:37:36. > :37:40.way up, maybe cut the post as that one went by from the man who opened
:37:41. > :37:53.up the Russia game. Yulia Matty Aaltonen. Of the ball he goes. That
:37:54. > :37:57.was their best chance. They must do better with it. We will see on the
:37:58. > :38:10.replay whether or not Lundqvist gets a piece of it, but Aaltonen, he
:38:11. > :38:13.really missed a chance there. Into the final 30 seconds. Lundqvist
:38:14. > :38:34.stretches. Antti Pihlstrom again. He is a
:38:35. > :38:48.firework out there. , Roth is offside, that will be intentional.
:38:49. > :38:55.Leo Komarov. Aaltonen, we will watch that again. Lundqvist does make the
:38:56. > :39:02.save, it goes off his arm. Maybe he had a little bit more groom Acrobat
:39:03. > :39:11.room to go up top. Aaltonen denied by Lundqvist.
:39:12. > :39:25.Back it goes, Alexander Steen with a shot. There is a bit of push and
:39:26. > :39:31.shove between them all. Patrik Berglund got hit with a puck. He got
:39:32. > :39:38.hit in the side of the head, it looks like. It is in the mouth area.
:39:39. > :39:45.He is OK, but a puck in the mouth never feels good. There you see it,
:39:46. > :39:51.on the side of the head. He thought the play was finished. You see him
:39:52. > :39:56.just checking to see for blood, whether or not he has all his teeth
:39:57. > :40:01.still in his mouth. May well be in his mouth guard. And the first
:40:02. > :40:06.period, 0-0, blood being spilled on ice, but no goals.
:40:07. > :40:12.STUDIO: They will be back for the second period life. You can follow
:40:13. > :40:37.that on the red button. These things are useless. Wonderful
:40:38. > :40:43.shot. Are you familiar with this game? Very familiar. I was the only
:40:44. > :40:54.one in San Diego who used to cover kerning. -- curling. I know it was
:40:55. > :41:08.developed in Scotland. Would this be an oh my moment? Write down on the
:41:09. > :41:16.face. Lovely shot. Are you ever allowed to put a foreign substance
:41:17. > :41:20.on the ice, likes olive oil? No. I am getting a lot of bad advice. That
:41:21. > :41:36.was excellent curling. STUDIO: It was invented in Scotland,
:41:37. > :41:41.that was one burgundy at the real Canadian Olympic trials. You can see
:41:42. > :41:44.what a huge event it is in Canada. Just by way of marking your cards
:41:45. > :41:48.about how good this Canadian skip is, he went through those Canadian
:41:49. > :41:56.trials, the first skip over to do it unbeaten. 1:30pm, that final. I
:41:57. > :42:03.understand there is a bit of a phenomenon happening back in the UK.
:42:04. > :42:11.Bring a broom to work day. You have been sending in your pictures. I
:42:12. > :42:19.will show you one of them. I did try but unfortunately housekeeping
:42:20. > :42:26.caught me red-handed. If you can see, the army boys doing a great
:42:27. > :42:31.job. If you go onto the website you can see the best. Continue to send
:42:32. > :42:36.them in. We will head up to the mountain is
:42:37. > :42:40.now, the final ladies event in the alpine skiing, it is the slalom.
:42:41. > :42:47.Here is our experts to set the scene.
:42:48. > :42:55.Final day 's racing here for the ladies. It is the slalom, the tight
:42:56. > :42:59.turns, the quit feet. -- quick feet. It rained most of the morning but
:43:00. > :43:04.luckily it is not raining now. The conditions will be soft underfoot,
:43:05. > :43:13.they will look use salt to draw the Meister out of the snow to bind it a
:43:14. > :43:17.little bit. -- draw the moisture. It is a Canadian call setup with 61
:43:18. > :43:24.turning gates. I would sit day it would favour the likes of Mikaela
:43:25. > :43:30.Shiffrin, she trains and races in New Hampshire, she is used to these
:43:31. > :43:36.kind of conditions. She will be used to rain, that will not affect her.
:43:37. > :43:39.Who else? Let's not forget Tina Maze of Slovenia, she comes into this
:43:40. > :43:46.event with damage confidence after head two golds so far. And Frida
:43:47. > :43:52.Hansdotter has been on absolute fire and peer their home will be in the
:43:53. > :44:11.mix as well. We are in for a really exciting slalom race.
:44:12. > :44:19.We have a total of 88 due to start the first run. The top 30 are
:44:20. > :44:35.reversed for the second leg. That is Tina Maze. The younger sister,
:44:36. > :44:41.Bernadette Schild is starting. Her sister, Marlies Schild, will start
:44:42. > :44:49.at number seven. Bernadette Schild into this pattern of gates. A total
:44:50. > :44:55.of 61, set by a Canadian coach. Off to a little bit of a shaky start.
:44:56. > :45:04.Conditions on this course, they have worked hard, but I think we will see
:45:05. > :45:13.it rut up very quickly. She is settling down, wild with the upper
:45:14. > :45:18.body than her sister. Bernadette Schild has had the best season of
:45:19. > :45:27.her career so far in 2014. Still looking for her first World Cup win.
:45:28. > :45:36.Going in the first ten will be a certain advantage on this soft heel.
:45:37. > :45:49.A lot of Austrians here, to watch the slalom quartet go tonight. A
:45:50. > :45:55.lovely picture from behind. The left-hand guard on the snow. We will
:45:56. > :46:04.see a lot of that will stop when you watch the skis, they are always
:46:05. > :46:12.smooth. Michaela Kirchgasser will be starting number 13. Number two,
:46:13. > :46:16.Maria Pietila-Holmner. She got her skis locked up and did well to
:46:17. > :46:22.recover. This is a tight set. It is not the
:46:23. > :46:30.steepest slalom. You have to move quickly. I think that must have been
:46:31. > :46:39.a straddle. Her slalom comes to an early end. Sending the skis either
:46:40. > :46:48.side of the spring-loaded red gate and is obliged to stop. It is a
:46:49. > :46:52.cruel discipline. She must have been two centimetres too far to the left
:46:53. > :46:57.of the gate and you cannot continue. If you continue and go through the
:46:58. > :47:03.finish, you get a fine. That was a short day for her. Another Maria,
:47:04. > :47:12.Maria Hoefl-Riesch, the defending champion. She won the slalom and
:47:13. > :47:17.super combined gold medals in Vancouver and has already won the
:47:18. > :47:20.super combined this time in Sochi. She has another medal to add to the
:47:21. > :47:26.collection because she picked up the silver medal in the super-G. She sat
:47:27. > :47:36.out the giant slalom with a touch of the Louvre. Let's see if she has
:47:37. > :47:41.fully recovered. -- of the flu. She is tall, but it looks as if her hips
:47:42. > :47:56.are way behind her feet. Very calm with the upper body. It is a great,
:47:57. > :48:01.strong run so far. No mistakes. She is racing pressure free, having
:48:02. > :48:06.picked up a couple of medals. Now she is looking for her second gold
:48:07. > :48:08.medal and she has started positively. Three tenths quicker
:48:09. > :48:17.than Bernadette Schild. The Germans enjoyed that.
:48:18. > :48:26.A beautiful slow motion of the skis. Not a turn, she moves her feet from
:48:27. > :48:38.side to side. If you overturn, you will lose a lot of speed here.
:48:39. > :48:51.The second of the Swedes. Frida Hansdotter. She has had close calls
:48:52. > :48:56.in slalom races in the past couple of seasons and finally, in the race
:48:57. > :49:03.before the Olympic Games, the World Cup slalom, she took her first World
:49:04. > :49:07.Cup win and richly deserved. She is not always the most textbooks gear,
:49:08. > :49:14.a little bit wild with the upper body, but I love watching this kind
:49:15. > :49:19.of skier. She breaks the rules. The skis on the salted course will react
:49:20. > :49:25.differently from the normal winter snow they are used to. She is 28
:49:26. > :49:31.years of age. The second-ranked slalom of the World Cup season
:49:32. > :49:35.behind Mikaela Shiffrin, who will be racing at number six. The American
:49:36. > :49:46.teenager and the best slalom skier at the moment. She trails the leader
:49:47. > :49:55.by just under a second. I think she will be disappointed with that. We
:49:56. > :50:03.can expect a big charge from her for the second. Tina Maze is the next.
:50:04. > :50:11.She has already taken the giant slalom title. She shared the Olympic
:50:12. > :50:22.downhill title with Dominique is -- Dominique.
:50:23. > :50:30.What a ten days it has been for has so far. Smooth skiing. Maybe round
:50:31. > :50:38.and cautious on the top part, the steeper part of the course. She
:50:39. > :50:43.looks like she is hesitating. She has to get the skis moving from
:50:44. > :50:54.behind her and forward through the gate. Now this is better. Look at
:50:55. > :50:59.the difference. That was a big amount to pick up. She looked
:51:00. > :51:09.hesitant at the top and now coming into the last, steeper section and
:51:10. > :51:14.these are good terms. -- turns. Considering she was more than half a
:51:15. > :51:25.second down, that is a superb recovery. It was strange from Tina
:51:26. > :51:28.Maze, almost like she had to test the snow and feel how salted snow
:51:29. > :51:38.fell and when she got one third down, she felt she could let it rip.
:51:39. > :51:47.-- the snow felt. Mikaela Shiffrin is next. All eyes of the American
:51:48. > :51:54.ski racing fans are on the teenager from Colorado, who went to school on
:51:55. > :52:05.the east coast, where she could only train slalom, day in, day out. 15,
:52:06. > :52:11.20 slalom runs each day. This is what it has produced. The finest ski
:52:12. > :52:18.racer, in slalom, that we have seen for a long time. She is making it
:52:19. > :52:22.look easy. It is not just the Americans watching her, I think
:52:23. > :52:27.everybody wants to see what she can do. She skis as if she has no
:52:28. > :52:37.pressure on her shoulders and there are no mistakes so far. The skis are
:52:38. > :52:44.driving, the upper body is relaxed. She has really put one down. The
:52:45. > :52:48.world champion, World Cup champion, leads the Olympic slalom first run
:52:49. > :52:55.by just under half a second. That is how to do it. We often see Mikaela
:52:56. > :53:01.Shiffrin with a second run like that, but it is not often we see her
:53:02. > :53:07.put the hammer down like she did. The hip was almost on the ground,
:53:08. > :53:08.she was so low, but it means she can get great angles. The ski them
:53:09. > :53:25.propels into the next turn. Marlies Schild, who took the bronze
:53:26. > :53:30.medal in 2006 and the silver in 2010. She comes into what is
:53:31. > :53:35.potentially her final Winter Olympics at the age of 32, with a
:53:36. > :53:39.quest to win the gold medal for Austria, but she is up against it
:53:40. > :53:47.now because the teenager, Mikaela Shiffrin, has raised the bar. She
:53:48. > :53:53.was in the back-seat, heavy edge to checks on the section. She is into
:53:54. > :54:00.it now. It seems they are testing the snow, not sure how the skis will
:54:01. > :54:07.react. There has not been a straightforward top section from any
:54:08. > :54:14.body apart from Mikaela Shiffrin. She has two wins under her belt,
:54:15. > :54:18.just before the New Year, since then the focus is on winning the gold
:54:19. > :54:25.medal. Look at the time difference. 1.34 seconds. Marlies Schild will
:54:26. > :54:30.have two launch one of her trademark second run charges to get in among
:54:31. > :54:47.the medals this evening. She finished a lot of the turns in the
:54:48. > :54:54.back-seat. The gold medal seems a long way off as we head back to the
:54:55. > :55:08.top. Potentially the best of the French slalom skiers. Originally
:55:09. > :55:14.from Nice. Nastasia Noens. Not a bad start. A few errors. We have not
:55:15. > :55:22.seen many keen runs. It will get more tricky with the ruts from here
:55:23. > :55:25.down. Third in Borneo, another fourth, but Mikaela Shiffrin is the
:55:26. > :55:40.leader. She pushed hard through the hairpin.
:55:41. > :55:45.But another mistake as she came onto the flat section. Desperate to make
:55:46. > :55:51.the line and be involved in the second run.
:55:52. > :55:59.There was quite a bit of damage done. Mikaela Shiffrin is leading
:56:00. > :56:15.with Maria Hoefl-Riesch second and Tina Maze third. The conditions are
:56:16. > :56:21.unforgiving. Anna Swenn-Larsson is the third of the Swedes to go and
:56:22. > :56:27.this is not a good start. She is all over the place on the top section.
:56:28. > :56:34.It looks like her skis are almost too sharp for the snow. It is not
:56:35. > :56:47.icy, it is firm. I would say the skis are too sharp. She was really
:56:48. > :56:56.struggling. It is different. It has been raiding. They put salt down. --
:56:57. > :57:00.it has been raining. The best of the Swedes at the moment, Frida
:57:01. > :57:08.Hansdotter, but she is last of those who have finished so far. She is not
:57:09. > :57:14.enjoying this. She fought her way to the bottom of the hill and is the
:57:15. > :57:22.slowest so far. It looks like hard work. That is a horrible feeling,
:57:23. > :57:28.but it looked like the ski was not reacting. She is stuck on the ski.
:57:29. > :57:33.She could not get off the edge. It is grabbing and grippy and a
:57:34. > :57:42.horrible run. Something went very wrong. It looked like the ski needed
:57:43. > :57:49.more bevel on it but obviously she has skied on it many times. The
:57:50. > :57:54.Swiss flags waving. Wendy Holdener is the first of them this evening.
:57:55. > :58:08.She has had a good slalom season with four top ten results on the
:58:09. > :58:16.tour. It is not the end of the world if you are off the gate, but the
:58:17. > :58:23.skis must charge through it. It is evil, slalom is so cruel. The second
:58:24. > :58:29.skier to make an early exit and that is the Olympics done for Wendy
:58:30. > :58:34.Holdener. It is not the fastest discipline but a tiny error, your
:58:35. > :58:39.ski might be two centimetres to the wrong side of the gate and with
:58:40. > :58:45.these conditions, the skis are sometimes grabbing quicker than they
:58:46. > :58:59.expect. The 18-year-old American, Mikaela Shiffrin, leads the way.
:59:00. > :59:06.Wendy Holdener, seeking solitude at the side of the slalom Hill. Dark
:59:07. > :59:14.thoughts going through her mind right now. She is young, just 20
:59:15. > :59:25.years of age, she might have three more Olympic Games. This skier
:59:26. > :59:33.dislocated her shoulder in the super combined, but put the injury behind
:59:34. > :59:40.her. She has worked hard to get fit. She has amazing physical strength.
:59:41. > :59:45.The injury was on this course, so you can understand why she is
:59:46. > :59:52.apprehensive. A lot of upper body movement going on. She has been
:59:53. > :00:04.close to getting a World Cup win. She did win in the super combined
:00:05. > :00:07.just before the start of the games. Marie-Michele Gagnon of Canada, the
:00:08. > :00:16.course has been set by head coach. She has skied reasonably well. She
:00:17. > :00:23.is happy to have made it. There are some Canadian supporters here to
:00:24. > :00:29.welcome her. Next are the Austrians, Kathrin Zettel, let's see what
:00:30. > :00:32.damage she can do. She has made a pretty solid start here, in
:00:33. > :00:48.deteriorating course conditions will stop if you listen closely, you can
:00:49. > :00:54.see that scratchy noise. She will be looking to put one down today.
:00:55. > :01:01.The aim now for the later starters, only 11 have gone and the course is
:01:02. > :01:08.already deteriorating. This has got to be a place in the top five. Nice
:01:09. > :01:22.calm upper body. Everything textbook for the Austrian. Shiffrin's time,
:01:23. > :01:27.52.62. She lost a few more tenths of a second on the last eight turns.
:01:28. > :01:33.Just a little bit scrappy at the end, very smart through the middle.
:01:34. > :01:36.A beautiful, textbooks slalom. As she came into that final six gates
:01:37. > :01:50.she made a couple of big mistakes. The top one is that one, Mikaela
:01:51. > :02:01.Shiffrin. She leads the way with Maria Hoefl-Riesch second. The
:02:02. > :02:08.Austrians, Michaela Kirchgasser. Nice relaxed looking start, good so
:02:09. > :02:19.far from Kirchgasser. Heavy again there. Coming towards the first
:02:20. > :02:26.split. It costs you so dearly. Very unforgiving snow. She was the silver
:02:27. > :02:31.medal behind Mikaela Shiffrin at the World Championships on home snow
:02:32. > :02:38.last February. This is still looking quite positive for Kirchgasser.
:02:39. > :02:43.Holding her nerve, looks like she will feature in the second run.
:02:44. > :02:54.Little skid sideways but she is almost home. The last four gates.
:02:55. > :02:58.She is in ninth position. An early start might not be such a bad thing
:02:59. > :03:08.in the second run if conditions remain like this. You can hear how
:03:09. > :03:12.hard that is. Skiing slalom race is like going round of running track a
:03:13. > :03:18.couple of times, it is flat-out, no relaxing, tough on the lungs and
:03:19. > :03:26.legs. It is a long one, 61 gates, tough course, steeped in places.
:03:27. > :03:37.Difficult snow conditions underfoot. The former world champion, Sarka
:03:38. > :03:42.Strachova. She finished on the podium in Whistler four years ago in
:03:43. > :03:55.the Vancouver games. Not a bad start. Look at the snow when it
:03:56. > :03:58.sprays up. Mikaela Shiffrin took this cue from behind and pushed
:03:59. > :04:03.through the turn and stayed strong with the upper body. A lot of the
:04:04. > :04:06.times when the girls push the ski through the gate they end up on the
:04:07. > :04:12.back seat. When Sarka Strachova won her bronze
:04:13. > :04:21.medal in the Olympic slalom Mikaela Shiffrin, our leader, was only 14.
:04:22. > :04:28.That is extraordinary. Shiffrin looks unlikely to be beaten in this
:04:29. > :04:38.first run. That makes her the slowest of the finishes so far.
:04:39. > :04:41.It is a fight today. Very few turns, I would say, underscores that will
:04:42. > :04:52.fill mice. The girls are used to the proper winter snow. -- feel nice. It
:04:53. > :04:56.has been raining for most of the day. Thankfully no precipitation at
:04:57. > :05:03.the moment. She is miles off the pace. Michelle given getting ready
:05:04. > :05:19.to go, the sister of Dominik gives an. It is Nina Loeseth from Norway.
:05:20. > :05:30.Always exciting to watch. Another mistake there. Her body is right
:05:31. > :05:34.inside. She gets massive angles but it is a risky way to ski. Especially
:05:35. > :05:39.if conditions are the way they are today. She struggled. That ends the
:05:40. > :05:44.slalom for Nina Loeseth. Her sister will be starting in the 20s but it
:05:45. > :06:01.all ended ritually for Nina Loeseth. -- prematurely. Disappointment
:06:02. > :06:09.again. Mikaela Shiffrin has the Starts and stripes tattooed,
:06:10. > :06:13.temporarily I have, on her neck. She is pretty cool, and she has skied
:06:14. > :06:15.beautifully this evening so far, leading Maria Hoefl-Riesch by half a
:06:16. > :06:32.second. This is the one they will all be
:06:33. > :06:44.chasing in the second round, if it stays like this. She never tries to
:06:45. > :06:48.race, she just tries to do her best. She takes the two runs as if they
:06:49. > :06:52.were two different races. She is not going to be thinking, I am in the
:06:53. > :06:56.lead, I could win an Olympic gold, she is keen to go off, relax,
:06:57. > :07:05.sometimes she has asleep, the jewel comeback set up for a new race. In
:07:06. > :07:09.Hades at the Mountain Academy in Vermont, on the east coast, although
:07:10. > :07:14.she hails from Colorado, her parents moved to the east where she could
:07:15. > :07:18.train on slalom courses, they spent a lot of time with her working on
:07:19. > :07:25.other balance sports, in-line skating, she is amazing on a
:07:26. > :07:26.unicycle as well. This will help her along, with her balance over the
:07:27. > :07:42.skis. Some of the lesser-known racers
:07:43. > :07:44.waiting for their chance to go. More than 80 due to start. The top 30
:07:45. > :08:05.will go in reverse order. The next skier is from Finland,
:08:06. > :08:19.former training partner of Emma Carrick-Anderson, Tony Pitea nine
:08:20. > :08:25.and -- Tanya Peter Tynan. She has never won Olympic gold. She has not
:08:26. > :08:33.had such a great season so far, not a bad start. Had to make a quick
:08:34. > :08:37.manoeuvre she is such a strong woman mentally, very little faces her. She
:08:38. > :08:42.will be looking at pushing hard today. Sometimes she does push too
:08:43. > :09:00.hard. She is aggressive through the ski. Silver medallist in giant
:09:01. > :09:03.slalom back in 2000, -- 2006. I think the conditions are really
:09:04. > :09:15.deteriorating. The girls, not quite take the ideal line they would like
:09:16. > :09:22.to. -- they cannot take. Not quite the slowest, but not far
:09:23. > :09:28.off. She leaves herself an awful lot to do in the second run, where she
:09:29. > :09:32.will be one of the early starters. You see the ski drifting out there,
:09:33. > :09:38.bouncing around. She tried her best to keep things calm. If you push too
:09:39. > :09:46.hard in this note it is very aggressive. Mikaela Shiffrin keeps
:09:47. > :09:49.smiling. She is heading off for some warmth, she has done her time in the
:09:50. > :10:03.leaders enclosure, time to on the second run. The next of the Germans
:10:04. > :10:16.is ready to race. Christina Geiger. Good skiing so far. She is ready
:10:17. > :10:28.into the next one. Slalom is all about the differences in rhythms.
:10:29. > :10:32.She is making absolutely sure of giving herself a crack at the second
:10:33. > :10:41.run and a chance to move up through the rankings. It is a hefty margin
:10:42. > :10:46.but not a bad run. Pushing hard, trying to be as clean as she can. It
:10:47. > :10:50.is impossible to get close to Shiffrin's time. A massive mistake
:10:51. > :10:56.as she comes through the finish. The last three gates. Reminiscent of
:10:57. > :11:03.what happened to her compatriot who straddled the last gate in the first
:11:04. > :11:08.one of the men's giant slalom. She hadn't got quite as far as Stefan
:11:09. > :11:10.Lutz. She can see the red line that signifies the end of the course will
:11:11. > :11:19.stop this is where it all unravelled.
:11:20. > :11:25.More sadness, disappointing scenes there. Not here, Shiffrin giving
:11:26. > :11:34.interviews to everybody. Everybody will want a piece of her. Ciara
:11:35. > :11:48.Costanza for Italy. Tall, talented, little inconsistent. She gets pushed
:11:49. > :11:53.forward. All over the place. Another massive mistake and another one out.
:11:54. > :11:59.She is carrying on that she had to start from a standstill. She will
:12:00. > :12:08.definitely be at the bottom of the pile if she does finish. He can look
:12:09. > :12:13.so great when the course is right, and the terrain and snow are right.
:12:14. > :12:17.I don't think it is a bad course set, I just think the conditions are
:12:18. > :12:22.tough out there. The first run has been said by one of the Canadians. A
:12:23. > :12:32.Swiss coach setting the second run. Another hat. We have seen a few this
:12:33. > :12:43.week. The Italian stumbling forward and
:12:44. > :12:50.having to jam on the brakes to make sure of making the next turn. I
:12:51. > :12:57.wonder if she will be in the top 30 for the second run? Getting her feet
:12:58. > :13:07.cord together. She got caught on a few turns. Erin Mielzynski from
:13:08. > :13:16.Canada, on a course set by her coach. She became the first Canadian
:13:17. > :13:33.since 1971 to win a World Cup slalom, that was a long gap.
:13:34. > :13:40.It was a great top section. Seen a lot of the girls up there,
:13:41. > :13:44.confident, not sure about how the skis will work, she is having a
:13:45. > :13:54.cracking run so far. Watch how quick and smooth she is. This is terrific.
:13:55. > :14:00.She doesn't stay on her feet. What a shame. She goes out. She was skiing
:14:01. > :14:04.towards a place in the top five right there.
:14:05. > :14:08.That is a huge disappointment was I love it when you see some body come
:14:09. > :14:13.through and the conditions are difficult and she nailed course
:14:14. > :14:17.until there. This is where it ended, skis either
:14:18. > :14:26.side of the gate, the straddle, race over four Erin Mielzynski of Canada.
:14:27. > :14:29.Very close to achieving something robust and solid to give the
:14:30. > :14:36.Canadians a chance in the second run, heartbreak. She was looking so
:14:37. > :14:49.strong. Back to the top. Denise Feierabend
:14:50. > :15:09.of Switzerland is ready. A former junior world champion in slalom.
:15:10. > :15:19.She has not enjoyed this top section so far. I can see the flags going
:15:20. > :15:22.crazy. This is the nice thing about the slalom, unlike the downhill,
:15:23. > :15:26.when you do not hear the crowd cheering until you are almost home,
:15:27. > :15:33.you can pretty much hear them the whole way down. She will need that.
:15:34. > :15:42.She is not really enjoying the run today. Denise Feierabend, fighting
:15:43. > :15:56.against the deterioration underfoot. There is a rut massive, forming, you
:15:57. > :16:04.cannot really see it. They are here in numbers, the Swiss ski racing
:16:05. > :16:09.fans. And another one who was straight through the gate at bottom.
:16:10. > :16:19.Did not want to wave to the crowd, she just wants to get out of there.
:16:20. > :16:23.Emelie Wikstrom will be the next of Sweden. Look at the scene
:16:24. > :16:28.surrounding Mikaela Shiffrin. Everybody wants a picture, a
:16:29. > :16:32.signature, wants her to put a mark of a hat, a helmet, a glove,
:16:33. > :16:51.anything. And this is after the first run. Emily Wick striven for
:16:52. > :16:55.Sweden. -- Emelie Wikstrom. The hairpin is just moving your feet
:16:56. > :17:03.quickly from side to side, not trying to overturn. If anything, you
:17:04. > :17:11.want to be ready for the next turning gate. The top was ragged,
:17:12. > :17:18.but she is into it now. She has a wild upper body movement, similar to
:17:19. > :17:24.the skier from the Swedish men's slalom team who we will see tomorrow
:17:25. > :17:31.night. It can be effective at times. This is a respectable run.
:17:32. > :17:40.Pushing, potentially, for a place in the top ten. How close can she go?
:17:41. > :17:53.11th. Mikaela Shiffrin is the one to watch.
:17:54. > :18:00.We are going to leave this on BBC Two, I think you know why. It
:18:01. > :18:02.continues on the red button. Run number two is live also on the red
:18:03. > :18:22.button. The simple beauty of some on the
:18:23. > :18:28.waters of a Scottish loch. And when winter turns the water to glass,
:18:29. > :18:48.beauty comes with silence. And born of this silence, this ice. A sport.
:18:49. > :18:55.The harsh. -- hush, broken by the rumble of granite. With its
:18:56. > :19:02.soundtrack of silence, the growl of granite and sweeping frenzy of the
:19:03. > :19:19.slaves to the stone. And the crack of precision. The sport of a silence
:19:20. > :19:30.beautifully broken. CHEERING. The sport of a silence. Let the silence
:19:31. > :19:33.be golden. Back in 1924 when the British men
:19:34. > :19:39.took the gold medal in curling they were represented by the Royal
:19:40. > :19:46.Caledonian curling club, beating Sweden in the final. 38-7. It will
:19:47. > :19:50.be closer today. Behind me, the British boys are out on the sheet.
:19:51. > :19:56.The Canadians have been practising already. We are close to the final.
:19:57. > :20:02.By way of context, it would be fair to say the Canadian start as
:20:03. > :20:12.favourites. Given their form. And also the relative paths of the two
:20:13. > :20:17.teams to the final. It is played on the smoothest of
:20:18. > :20:26.surfaces but Dave Murdoch's journey to the match today has been a bumpy
:20:27. > :20:32.ride. On paper, five wins from six matches was a comfortable start, but
:20:33. > :20:37.they rode their luck, not least in the 7-6 win over Germany, where they
:20:38. > :20:46.needed a dreadful error in the final stone to seal a lucky win. Those
:20:47. > :20:51.early games were cagey, but we had not seen anything yet. With
:20:52. > :20:56.qualification seemingly in the bag, they lost their next three matches,
:20:57. > :21:04.including a 7-5 defeat against Canada, today's opponents. A 6-5
:21:05. > :21:08.reverse against China in the final round robin provided more drama and
:21:09. > :21:13.another game, because Britain needed a play-off to make the semifinals.
:21:14. > :21:19.No matter, Dave Murdoch held his nerve with the final stone, sending
:21:20. > :21:22.Britain into the medals shake-up. There was no letup in the
:21:23. > :21:30.semifinals. Once more, he held his nerve. A final stone, no problem.
:21:31. > :21:37.The British team have played so well and they are in the Olympic final.
:21:38. > :21:40.While Dave Murdoch made a meal of qualifying for the knockout stages,
:21:41. > :21:47.Brad Jacobs was strolling into the semifinals. They took a while to
:21:48. > :21:51.flex their muscles, losing to macro of the first three games.
:21:52. > :21:59.Thereafter, their brand of curling was on song. They went into the
:22:00. > :22:04.semifinals with confidence sky-high. China stood between them and a shot
:22:05. > :22:13.at the gold medal but the Canadians qualified at a canter, 10-6.
:22:14. > :22:17.Jacobs' rink had a tough act to follow given that Kevin Martin led
:22:18. > :22:24.them to the gold medal on home soil for years ago. Two contrasting
:22:25. > :22:34.journeys but a singular objective today, Olympic gold.
:22:35. > :22:47.And the Tartan Army already sinking. Curling fever is endemic. No cure
:22:48. > :22:55.has been found since 2002 -- singing. Dave Murdoch has the chance
:22:56. > :23:00.to take his team into the Olympic final for a guaranteed medal. Dave
:23:01. > :23:08.Murdoch has done it. And the British crowd, they are jumping up and down.
:23:09. > :23:16.Great Britain are in the Olympic final. What a match. It has been a
:23:17. > :23:25.long and hard journey, two campaigns that did not go to plan. We missed
:23:26. > :23:30.out in Italy by not very much. And in Vancouver we expected more. It
:23:31. > :23:36.put me into a dark place after that. And now, to finally be here, after
:23:37. > :23:41.putting in so much work with these guys, it is a dream come true. What
:23:42. > :23:48.do you know about the support at home? It has been fantastic. After
:23:49. > :23:52.the game last night, the phones were going crazy for hours and I want to
:23:53. > :23:56.thank everybody at home has a support. I know the whole nation is
:23:57. > :24:01.talking about curling and that is great for the sport. That does not
:24:02. > :24:06.add pressure? We are focused on winning a curling match. Knowing you
:24:07. > :24:11.have the nation supporting you is a great feeling. You came up against
:24:12. > :24:16.Canada in the group stage, how do you visualise playing them in the
:24:17. > :24:20.final? We are confident and we are throwing really well, we missed out
:24:21. > :24:27.by a millimetre in the round robin and if we have that chance again it
:24:28. > :24:34.could go in our favour. That is a Victor Reva Canada. It was so close.
:24:35. > :24:42.-- victory. What will the final take as a team? It will take great
:24:43. > :24:49.concentration, and just take each shot at each end as it comes and
:24:50. > :24:53.hopefully come away with a win. You have arguably the toughest job of
:24:54. > :24:59.all, waiting for one of these guys to injure themselves and you get to
:25:00. > :25:06.have a go. Watching is the hard part, playing is the easy part!
:25:07. > :25:14.There is nothing he can do now. Is he right? He has done it. A
:25:15. > :25:22.brilliant shot. Hopefully, we are six up in the last end. Can it be
:25:23. > :25:30.like that for once, please? Probably doubtful, but it would be nice. You
:25:31. > :25:34.have had two matches that have gone to the last stone. Can you prepare
:25:35. > :25:43.for the eventuality that an Olympic gold medal might go back to the last
:25:44. > :25:48.stone? That is the actual thing you hope for, to be honest. We have had
:25:49. > :25:54.a couple of nice games and trusted making that shot to win and that is
:25:55. > :26:03.what the guys talk about, we will do everything we can, we will fight to
:26:04. > :26:08.the last. A great group and alongside me is
:26:09. > :26:15.Eve Muirhead and Rona. Many congratulations -- Rhona Martin.
:26:16. > :26:20.Much sleep last night? I was absolutely shattered. But I did not
:26:21. > :26:25.sleep at all. We did not get back until one in the morning, after more
:26:26. > :26:30.media, and I was thinking how can I not sleep? I was shattered, but I
:26:31. > :26:36.have been buzzing since the game. These are the moments you want to
:26:37. > :26:44.cherish. You have been a high school, but a big reaction when you
:26:45. > :26:50.finally won -- ice cool. It is mentally tough. I have to think for
:26:51. > :26:55.those two and a half and three hours and one wrong decision can cost the
:26:56. > :27:01.match. At the end, it was a massive relief, to let it go and knowing we
:27:02. > :27:06.had put in so much work. To throw the last stone and make it was a
:27:07. > :27:14.massive relief. Rona Howie was saying how proud she was of you all,
:27:15. > :27:18.how you turned around from the devastation of losing to Canada in
:27:19. > :27:25.the semifinals. That was probably one of my toughest defeats of my
:27:26. > :27:30.career so far. As a team, we played fantastic. Canada were far too good
:27:31. > :27:38.on the day. It was tough to take and I would like to thank Dave and Rona
:27:39. > :27:45.for the kind words. I knew we had a chance to get a medal and in a way,
:27:46. > :27:50.what great athletes we were to bounce back and come out firing a
:27:51. > :27:57.game in the bronze medal game. I bet you did not think a bronze medal
:27:58. > :28:01.would feel so good? I think you are right. A bronze team medal is
:28:02. > :28:05.probably the toughest to get. You are always coming off the back of a
:28:06. > :28:11.defeat, losing the semifinal and to come back and get the bronze medal
:28:12. > :28:15.was extra special. I am super proud of the girls. It is a massive team
:28:16. > :28:23.effort and they put me in the position to play the last shot. And
:28:24. > :28:29.the coaches have a massive impact. You had breakfast with Dave Murdoch
:28:30. > :28:34.this morning. How is he feeling? I saw him at breakfast and he had a
:28:35. > :28:40.bowl of cornflakes and they were not going far. He was staring them. I
:28:41. > :28:43.asked if he had a few butterflies. It is natural, he is going to be
:28:44. > :28:50.feeling the nerves. He plays fantastic under the pressure. They
:28:51. > :28:57.will be feeling it, but they have a good shot at the gold medal. Dave
:28:58. > :29:01.Murdoch has been through a tough journey at the Olympic Games,
:29:02. > :29:06.winning everything else, but at the Olympics, fourth and fifth and up to
:29:07. > :29:14.-- after Vancouver he was devastated. He was, but he is in the
:29:15. > :29:23.final and he has everything to play for and they will be fired up. What
:29:24. > :29:34.about Canada? They have a match shows style of curling. What do they
:29:35. > :29:44.have to do -- macho style. They have to keep it simple and be in control
:29:45. > :29:52.of what they do. If he plays his game and concentrates on what they
:29:53. > :30:01.do, he will get them riled. This is your guide to curling. Kelling
:30:02. > :30:07.originated in 16th century Scotland and appeared in the first Winter
:30:08. > :30:14.Olympics aims of 1920 41 Britain won gold. Between 1928 and 1994 it was
:30:15. > :30:20.not in the Olympic programme but Britain was thankful for its range
:30:21. > :30:25.reduction in 98 as Rhona Martin won gold for years later.
:30:26. > :30:30.COMMENTATOR: You will never see a better stone under Great Britain.
:30:31. > :30:35.The aim is to get one or more stones closer to the centre of the house
:30:36. > :30:40.than your opponents, and sweeping is a key part. It affects the distance
:30:41. > :30:46.and direction stone travels in. There for players in each team,
:30:47. > :30:55.known as a rink, who to turns each end -- who curl two stones each end.
:30:56. > :30:58.Most matches are over ten ands. Tactics are crucial, in particular
:30:59. > :31:36.retaining last stone advantage, known as the hammer.
:31:37. > :31:45.They can come into this with a great attitude, they have gone very well
:31:46. > :31:48.to get to the final. When you have a chance to win something like this
:31:49. > :31:53.you have got the attitude to come here to win the gold. If you have
:31:54. > :31:57.got the attitude, haven't we done well to be in the final, they might
:31:58. > :32:01.get steam-rollered by Canada. They have got to be ready for this, ready
:32:02. > :32:06.to take them on. They gave them a great match, a very close match, in
:32:07. > :32:11.the round-robin competition. And yes, Canada or the favourites, and
:32:12. > :32:17.yes, they should win on paper, but it is not on paper, it is on ice. It
:32:18. > :32:23.can be unpredictable. We hope it will be exciting, but we also hope
:32:24. > :32:28.it will go right down to the wire and for Great Britain it has already
:32:29. > :32:33.been a curling competition which has brought us the success of the Bronze
:32:34. > :32:39.medal for the women, and this, the huge opportunity for Dave Murdoch
:32:40. > :33:12.and his team. Greg Drummond, Scott Andrews, and Michael Goodfellow.
:33:13. > :33:20.Everybody watching as they are introduced to the crowd. And for
:33:21. > :33:26.Jackie and I, we have been through 18 British round-robin matches, we
:33:27. > :33:31.had a tie-break match, an extra one, little bonus, against Norway. The
:33:32. > :33:37.two semifinals, and the women's bronze medal match, and are you and
:33:38. > :33:43.I delighted to be sitting here for the men's final with the prospect,
:33:44. > :33:47.we have certainly got a medal, but the prospect of a gold medal. It
:33:48. > :33:51.would be an upset, most people think Canada should win this, but in
:33:52. > :33:56.turning anything can happen. It doesn't matter what has gone off
:33:57. > :33:58.before, your reputation, who is supposed to be the favourite, we
:33:59. > :34:10.could have any result here. This is a one chance came, winner
:34:11. > :34:14.takes that gold, shiny medal. The loser takes the Silver, it will be a
:34:15. > :34:21.consolation at the end of the day. Both these teams desperately wanting
:34:22. > :34:27.that gold Olympic medal. Looking forward to what should be a very
:34:28. > :34:34.exciting game. Let's hope we see some fantastic playing. We saw some
:34:35. > :34:40.fantastic shot making an early run with the Swedish and Chinese boys. I
:34:41. > :34:46.am really hoping to see something better here.
:34:47. > :34:51.Here we go. Don't go anywhere for the next two and a half hours or so.
:34:52. > :34:56.This should be a thrilling ride. It will have its peaks and troughs. It
:34:57. > :35:00.will be slow at times and it will have its dramatic moments, I am
:35:01. > :35:06.sure. Canada will start with a hammer, they have first stone, last
:35:07. > :35:07.stone advantage in the first end because they are the higher ranked
:35:08. > :35:20.team coming into this. Britain have to face the team that
:35:21. > :35:26.were top of the rankings in terms of the round-robin competition, that
:35:27. > :35:31.was Sweden. Whatever happens here we will have the same three teams
:35:32. > :35:34.winning the medals in the men's competition as have done in the
:35:35. > :35:41.women's, Canada, Great Britain and Sweden.
:35:42. > :35:47.The leads, with such an important job, we talked a lot about this
:35:48. > :35:56.Canadian team, let's just go through them. The brothers, they are cousins
:35:57. > :36:02.of their skip, Brad Jacobs 's. Already a little shake of the head.
:36:03. > :36:06.Just relax. And a man who they brought in recently, a couple of
:36:07. > :36:13.years ago, Ryan Fry, 35-year-old from Winnipeg to play third for
:36:14. > :36:16.them. He was what they described as the missing ingredient to form this
:36:17. > :36:21.team that took the Canadian trials by storm and got the chance to
:36:22. > :36:25.represent their country here at the Olympic Games.
:36:26. > :36:33.I am just going to return things out. Canada have one all five
:36:34. > :36:36.previous matches in the Olympic Games with Great Britain including
:36:37. > :36:43.the round-robin. They have won their last five world championship matches
:36:44. > :36:48.against Scotland, and they expect to win the gold medal having won it
:36:49. > :36:53.last time as well. Those are not statistics in our favour.
:36:54. > :36:57.They aren't, but they are not allowed to win it all the time. I
:36:58. > :37:08.think our boys down here are up for taking that title. This Canadian
:37:09. > :37:11.team, they haven't had the best championships, I know they are in
:37:12. > :37:16.the final, but they started off Ruby, lost a few games there were
:37:17. > :37:27.not expecting to lose. -- rupee. There are weaknesses on the team. I
:37:28. > :37:32.just think this game, they are going to be a little bit shaky. Once the
:37:33. > :37:34.Canadians get themselves to the finals, they grow about six inches
:37:35. > :37:49.taller. It is crucial for Britain to start
:37:50. > :37:54.well here, because I think Canada get out to the start, in the same
:37:55. > :37:58.fashion Jennifer Jones did against Eve Muirhead Acropolis team in the
:37:59. > :38:06.semifinal, they are going to be really difficult. A team that works
:38:07. > :38:12.on the intensity, confidence, they have got to try and eat away at
:38:13. > :38:18.that. They don't want to go three or four down, three down even, to
:38:19. > :38:25.early. Yes, OK, they have the hammer early on, but let's keep it close,
:38:26. > :38:29.let's keep them, stop them getting carried away, stop them getting into
:38:30. > :38:34.a position where they can control the match all the way through.
:38:35. > :38:40.We cannot afford to give them a couple of shots as a head start. For
:38:41. > :38:48.our boys, they had to play the shots they are asked for, keep the head in
:38:49. > :38:51.the game, keep as close as possible. For those of you who have been on
:38:52. > :38:55.this journey with us over the last 11 days, and you have got to know:
:38:56. > :39:02.Well all for those of you who might just have decided to tune into day,
:39:03. > :39:07.it is a sport which can be cruel at times, rewards great shotmaking, but
:39:08. > :39:12.every now and then the tension that is created out there, particularly
:39:13. > :39:15.as we move towards the end, even the best players in the world make
:39:16. > :39:21.really basic errors. We saw that in the match earlier today. Let's hope
:39:22. > :39:27.this is a match which is one with great shotmaking, and not lost with
:39:28. > :39:36.errors that come down to individuals concerned.
:39:37. > :39:46.He is taking over from his brother Ryan, and now they have come out at
:39:47. > :39:53.this very first end, sometimes we see them sending stones through to
:39:54. > :39:56.get themselves used to the ice, but they have put their guards up,
:39:57. > :40:06.responded. That was a nice shop there. -- shot.
:40:07. > :40:09.Canada have the hammer here. I wasn't sure whether we were going to
:40:10. > :40:15.see an edgy start, nobody going to take the game on. They have run the
:40:16. > :40:22.first end through and started in the second. But the Canadians have taken
:40:23. > :40:31.this on right from the word go. This is Greg Drummond. His parents
:40:32. > :40:39.are here. He has had a great Olympic Games. You cannot really pick out
:40:40. > :40:45.individuals, there tends to be those of us in the media who will keep the
:40:46. > :40:53.playing the big shots from Dave Murdoch. It is these sort of shots
:40:54. > :40:57.from Greg, Scott Andrews, Michael Goodfellow, all working together as
:40:58. > :41:07.a team that gives Dave Murdoch the chance to get the big shots. Brad
:41:08. > :41:12.Jacobs and his team, not sure they have one too many friends in this
:41:13. > :41:19.Olympic campaign. The intensity which they play, their style, I
:41:20. > :41:26.wouldn't say a war of words, as we see Ryan Fry, their third, with his
:41:27. > :41:29.first sown. The coach has been chipping in in the media with some
:41:30. > :41:37.comments about the style of the Canadians. That was very well
:41:38. > :41:44.swept, I thought it would catch the top yellow. We watched the bronze
:41:45. > :41:48.medal game earlier on this sheet. If you play a little too much weight
:41:49. > :41:50.you get no movement but if you are down weight and anywhere near the
:41:51. > :42:04.centre line it pulls really big. Dave is choosing to ask Greg to come
:42:05. > :42:29.on and in turn. Canada sitting in there with three
:42:30. > :42:36.shots. The first end here already with some stones in the house, there
:42:37. > :42:43.are -- they are added to fearful of Dave Murdoch and his team. They
:42:44. > :42:47.cannot really afford to do that very often, particularly early on for
:42:48. > :42:48.stop they do not want to let Canada jump out to a big end at the
:42:49. > :43:04.beginning. And also they cannot keep relying on
:43:05. > :43:13.Dave Murdoch to dig them out of trouble. If you are doing that end
:43:14. > :43:18.after end, it will begin to tell and he will not be able to do it every
:43:19. > :43:25.time. Ryan Fry with another shot. Just try to follow that one in. He
:43:26. > :43:34.has got it perfect. Really impressive sweeping. Both teams have
:43:35. > :43:40.got very strong sweepers on them. Just a little bit unfortunate Greg
:43:41. > :43:49.has caught the top guard. They have been playing exceptionally well.
:43:50. > :44:01.Although we are still lying second shot, that British yellow stone is
:44:02. > :44:07.not in a great position. Looking pretty fungal bought sitting back
:44:08. > :44:14.there. This isn't the best of ends at the moment -- vulnerable. It just
:44:15. > :44:25.takes one big shot to remove several stones. Just not sure they are
:44:26. > :44:31.sitting that well. Dave will be using that front yellow, run that
:44:32. > :44:37.back into the pack, trying some damage limitation. They need to move
:44:38. > :44:42.these stones around, they may end up with one of them jamming on to the
:44:43. > :44:47.yellow at the back. Cannot afford to leave them like this. Just going to
:44:48. > :45:03.run his own yellow back into those for, see how they fall.
:45:04. > :45:12.At this point we asked switching to BBC One. You will not miss a stone.
:45:13. > :45:13.Press the button and we are already there. And we will