Day 15, Part 2 Winter Olympics

we are into the final weekend of these 22nd Winter Olympics, the

games which began against an uncertain backdrop but one which has

enthralled as dazzled us. It's broken our hearts a little bit too.

Winter sport has once again demonstrated its enduring appeal.

So, for the penultimate time, every good afternoon and while the drains

are going to a close, action continues apace. -- while the Games

are drawing to a close. 62 nations are represented in the

slalom. Orange is the new gold in speed

skating. We pay our final visit to the Adler Arena. Can anyone stop the

Dutch? This skier aims to make his mark in

the BIOS on. If Norway takes gold, he will have a record ninth Olympic

title. In terms of timings, the men's

slalom will be first. Then the speed skating.

I'm delighted that beans -- joined by Emma Carrigan. You having fun?

Loving it. We are going to have a little review of the Alpine

programme so far. Starting with the men's downhill. This is where Emma

will get very smug! Nobody thought that my of Austria would win but you

picked him beforehand. I just had a hunch. He's been getting through the

winter more strongly. I thought I was going to go for him. Bode Miller

had looked so good in all the trial runs. Everyone was talking about

him. He got himself into a really good place after injury problems. It

does didn't work for him. That was so hard. He won three out of the

five runs. In training, he was perfect. His line was great, his

position was great. When it came to the day, he didn't get the line

right in the places he needs to. The other guy who disappointed across

the games and has gone home early with problems. We talked about hay

fever. It is Swindell, the Norwegian. He just missed out on

bronze. He has been the man of the season and the big one to watch. He

has pollen problems, allergies, and in the Olympic Village, there was a

lot of dust around from all the building. He decided to go home

early. Surprise in the men's downhill. Olympic history in the

women's downhill. A dead heat. That was fantastic. I loved the shots of

the girls, had standing, holding hands. I think it is the first time

it has ever happened, that a gold has been taken by duathletes. It's

incredible. She went on to win another gold in the giant slalom.

She hasn't had the greatest form this season but she got it right

here. She got it right here, that's for sure. That is the thing with

racing, as soon as you start to get confident, but is it, you are off.

She made a change with her coach offered to the season which changed

things for her. Yes, she's had a fantastic Games. The men's Super-G

now. What is it about this event and the Norwegians? They've won the last

four. They seem to do very, very well. Part of it... They've

obviously got great psychologists. You don't get the training runs like

in downhill so you have to know exactly where you are going at each

point on the Hill. They've also got great training hills because they

had... Two great courses for Super-G. They nailed it here.

Another dead heat for the bronze medal and finally Bode Miller got

his bronze, didn't he? He got his bronze. He had tears at the finish.

The tears were there for a few different reasons. He's had a pretty

tough last year and a half. He has come back from his injury. He was

maybe looking to have a better season than he has. For him to have

a bronze in these Olympics is just brilliant. Now, it's the end of an

era for him. He's going to move on for -- to other things. He's had

such a great career and he will be sorely missed. He is a real

character. He has six Olympic medals in total. Absolutely. He does break

the rules. Racers can often follow the rules all the time and Bode

Miller is happy to go his way. I think that is really refreshing to

see. Onto the giant slalom and correct me if I'm wrong but I think

the first run of Liggett he might have been the ski of the games. We

said he was going to be the one to watch and the way he skis is just

phenomenal. He goes for such big angles. The other guys are going for

60 or city five degrees. He goes another 10 degrees. His skis are so

far right that he can really tighten up that radius, the arc. That is

what makes him just phenomenal. It is the length of the skills, isn't

it? He was against it but he is the one who has changed his technique

the best. That's the amazing thing. They have changed this shape of the

skis. It used to be 27 metres. He said at the beginning you guys are

going to destroy giant slalom for us because we will not be to carve the

terms. He has just shown that he can and he blows it out of the water.

It's fabulous to watch. Giant slalom is a difficult discipline to get

right. He nails it. It has been a great Alpine programme. One skier

got a lot of headlines. The jury seems to be out on whether Vanessa

Mae should have come here or not. I'm sitting on the fence. If I had

been in her position... What she does is incredible and she is so

good at it. But she had this goal of coming to the Olympics and racing in

the Olympics. In some ways, I think, good on her. But there are a lot of

other races around that might look at it and think, stay with what you

are so good at. She has been given this chance and has taken it. She

enjoyed it, for sure. Let us know what you think on twitter. --

Twitter. Let's look back to yesterday and a new American

superstar. Shifrin is next to go and all the

eyes of the American ski racing fans are on the teenager from Vail in

Colorado. The coaches and parents said she

could do 15 training runs a day. It has produced the finest racing we've

seen for a long time. She is making it look easy. She absolutely is and

it is not just the Americans that will be watching her. I reckon

everybody wants to see what this young woman can do. She skis like

she has no pressure on her shoulders. It's an outstanding run

so far. No mistakes. The skis are driving through each turn. The upper

body is relaxed and in front of her. She comes into this final steep

section. Shifrin of the United States of America has really put one

down here. The world champion, the World Cup champion leads the Olympic

slalom first run. That is how to do it. She moves into first. We often

see her with a second run like that but it's not often we see her put

the hammer down like she did there. What a great run. The hip was almost

on the ground. She was so low that it means she can get such great

angles. Listening to commentary there. You are a fan, aren't you?

Absolutely. She is another one who is in a league of her own. I

definitely thought she would win the slalom. If she finished, she was

going to be miles ahead. She made a big mistake in a second run but it

didn't put her. A lot of other races would be put off. It just spurred

her on to greatness. At 18 years old, it's incredible, because she is

so calm and relaxed so focus. In terms of the men, we are looking at

them getting ready to go. Here show took a body blow. Can he bounce

back? -- Hirscher. It is probably his greatest discipline. He is in a

league of his own. A quick word on the British skier. He is a starting

number 35 which is much better than he would normally start. I had a

quick chat with him and what he wants to do is break into the top 30

after the first run. Good afternoon. Wellcome to the

final day of the Olympic Alpine programme. We have British interest

as Jonathan and Emma were just discussing, with David Ryding

starting at number 35. Only two British athletes on the Alpine

programme, Chemmy Alcott finished her Olympic career with 19th

position in the downhill. David Ryding, the only other British

competitor in the Alpine programme. There has been some talk that one or

two others might have been given a chance, Dougie Crawford and another

skier were not selected. David Ryding has a point to prove this

afternoon. He is amongst a massive field of 117 racers. And the top 30

will go in reverse order. Thinking about the favourites, for

me it is a three horse race. Kristofferson from Norway, just 19

years old, came through and announced himself with a win in the

ninth slalom. 30,000 screaming Austrians and Hirscher had the lead

but Kristofferson came down and won that race. Like a lot of the Swedish

racers, lives in Monaco. He will open the racing.

The first course set by one of the German coaches and he is the first

to tackle it. It is a little bit of guesswork here for Andre Myhrer. A

lot of rhythm changes in the course today. It is pretty steep all the

way down. There is one section where it goes slightly less steep, we call

it the flat section, even though it is not that flat. Lots of vertical

gates. The course is set has two set lots of verticals in order to get

the number of gates required. He is the seventh best of the season, the

first to ski today and he really attacked it. 47.15, he looks happy.

Let us see how that stands up. It has been a very long time since the

Swedish racers have won and medal in the Alpine programme. You need to go

back to 1988. Another Swede will go next. He is a different stylist to

his team-mate. He will get hands down through these turns and

immediately, his right-hand hits the snow. He has had a decent start. He

is a lot busier with his hand is, gets twisted out of position. Three

points of balance almost. Hargin skiing nicely. The Swedes have yet

to score a medal in the Alpine programme at the Winter Games.

Hargin is just behind his team-mate. It is the first run of the Men's

slalom. Swedish bands in great numbers. Lots of skiers from the

Women's programme have come to watch this. He fights to get forward. You

have got to pull forward. The veteran Austrian. He was twice a

world champion. Huge gaps between the wins. He has never really got it

right on the Olympic Stadium. This is his only discipline. Can he get

it right? And nice and neat start from Matt. His younger brother was

in their ski cross. Matt is up by 14 hundredths. A good start for Matt.

LaRue, crouched over his skis, add different style from Andre Myhrer.

-- Lowell. Matt flies onto the final steep section. He recovers well, has

he done enough to lead the way? Yes. A fabulous first run from Matt. He

is showing the way. He is one of only four skiers who has won World

Cup slalom this season. He has updated his technique. When he first

burst onto the scene, he had a wide stance and now he has narrowed that

stance. The skis have changed, they have become a lot more stable. 109

my role next. Let us see what he can produce. -- 109 Mac. -- Marcel

Hirscher. Not such a good start from Marcel Hirscher. He twisted slightly

as he goes on to the smaller section. He is a bit off the pace.

He is likely to be the slowest of the starters so far if it stays like

this that he finishes, he will have to come from behind a charge in the

second run Andre Myhrer leads. Marcel Hirscher is fourth. That is

an massive shock. This is the man who has revolutionised slalom

skiing, the world champion. What on earth went wrong with Marcel

Hirscher? No emotion showing from him, he will have to consider his

next move. Andre Myhrer leads. Next to go, Henrik Kristoffersen. He is

19 years old. I love the way he skis, he has taken Marcel Hirscher,

his technique and made it his own revolutionised certain sections, he

is down at the intermediate time, so I guess that is not working. He is

swinging his arms, it is not textbook slalom skiing. He is

behind, Henrik Kristoffersen into the last six turns and a bit of

extra yardage under his ski bases and he is a little way off. There is

are leader, Matt holding the top spot. Andre Myhrer is second. These

guys are used to racing on blue eyes, bullet-proof eyes and the snow

conditions here, they are a little bit softer -- ice. It has caught out

two of the favourites. Next to come, Thaler. Matt has lifted the bar, can

anyone respond and match the Austrian? The Italians took a

surprise when last time-out. Thaler has got a tidy and neat technique.

He will not be risking much with the line. He should not lose too much

time. Might just be good enough. We have a 34-year-old leading, a

35-year-old in trouble and out and down and it is over for Thaler. It

seems to me that this course is suiting the old school technique,

the distance and the offset, no matter how much the course turns

from side to side is not very much. You need more up and down movement,

you need your feet close together, the body angles you create are less

important and what is important is speed of movement and skiing close

to the gates. Next to go, Felix Neureuther. He is in trouble at the

first section. He has recovered. He likes the conditions to be slightly

softer, he can ski in all kinds of snow, he can ski on ice as well. He

is called the cat because he is so relaxed on his skis. He did not get

the best introduction to the Games, he was a late arrival and crashed

his car in Bavaria he was in hospital for a while. It looks like

he has put that behind him, and nice smooth finish. He will go close

enough. The mother of Felix Neureuther was a double Olympic

champion herself in 1976. So, let us see how the old men do now. He is 34

years old. It is Ivica Kostelic. He has never won Olympic gold. This is

messy. He has not had a great season. I cannot see him doing

anything in the slalom but this kind of skiing. Come on to the flats,

Ivica Kostelic looks a bit more comfortable, but as he emerges onto

the steep final pitch, he is two seconds off the pace of Matt. Ivica

Kostelic is more than two seconds down. Slowest of the finishers so

far, disappointment for the Croatian fans. Next up, back with the

Germans, it is 64. Start numbers are having a massive effect. This

course, although it is in reasonable shape, considering the temperatures

we have had, it is not as firm as World Cup courses would be. It will

not hold up as well for the later starters. In fact, it is hard to see

anyone getting a time close to that of Matt. 64 is in sixth position.

Quite big gaps between first and seventh, there is room for the later

starters to claim a place in the top 30. That is what counts. A chance to

start early in the second run. The second run will be very different.

Here is the French athlete, can he do some damage? Sometimes he can be

a little bit shaky. This is OK from Alexis Pinturault. He is in touch

here. He hooked his hand on the bottom of the gate which span him

off slightly. He was on the edge of control. Sitting back, ever so

slightly, he is in trouble. The French have plenty of chances, they

have the former world champion coming later, Alexis Pinturault has

to force the skis through the turn. He is fifth, that is not bad

considering the mistakes. Alexis Pinturault is fifth, not bad at all.

He is in front of Marcel Hirscher. It is going to be a different kettle

of fish altogether. There is the hand hooked on the under gate. You

suddenly have these quicker gates that come after you, you have to

move your feet fast. He is an experienced man, at the age of 35, a

few World Cup wins under his belt. The He is usually a clean skier,

Herbst. He is making very few mistakes. With the top five

separated by more than a second, there is certainly room for one of

these racers starting from ten to 15 to come in and get involved but not

Herbst. Not tonight. He is out. Look how close he was. The red line is

the finishing line. That is how far he got before he fell. Just too much

weight on the inside ski, not keeping the weight out over the

outside ski. When that inside ski slips away, there is no safety net.

Mario Matt the best of them. Frustration for the Austrian

coaches. Next to go, former world champion, Grange from France. He has

a massive fan club, right in front of our commentary box. They have

made the journey from the French Apple -- Alps. He is on his way. At

one time, Grange was one of the best slalom skiers in the world. He was

very, very keen. He is back now, in the top 15. Look at this. He is

right in touch, Grange. He appears to have the measure of the top half

of this course. He hits the flats. Good acceleration. Again, it is

suiting the old school technique. He is clean, no big mistakes.

29-year-old Frenchman, onto the final pitch now. If he stays on his

feet, he will not be far away. John Baptiste Grange, excellent. He gives

himself a good chance of skiing for a medal in the second run. See how

close his feet are, in on the polls. The difference between fact and

Hirscher all Kristofferson... They go for big angles to try and

generate speed. That works when you have a big offset but we don't have

that today. The snow conditions don't allow you to get so much

pressure on the ski. One of the Japanese race is going through his

warm up routine. He is 35 years of age now, Raich

and, in his final Olympic event. Well, both Raich Matt and -- Raich

and Matt went to the same school. And he sends his skis either side of

the control gate. Raich's illustrious Olympic career ends

right there. He set up too early in on the gate. He was trying to come

to much from behind and his inside ski hooked in above the gate.

The Austrians have the lead. Mario Matt. Next to go, the next of the

Swedes. It is Markus Larsson. He is 35 years of age.

How close is Larsson here? He has never really looked a clean skier.

He has always been on the edge of control. He's got very long levers

and sometimes they go in different directions, shall we say? In the

second run in 2002, when Alan Baxter came from eighth after the first run

to take the bronze medal... Although he only held at temporarily. Larsson

was in that race. The other one that was also in that race was cost of

edge. -- Costavich. That was 12 years ago. These guys are still out

there racing. Larsson has just skied into eighth position.

David Ryan -- David Ryding skiing for Great Britain tonight, he will

ski with bib number 35. Moelgg is on his way. Not a bad

start. He has found his line. Early rhythm. It is tough out there

already. There is quite a rut forming around the racing line. This

is setting up nicely for a second run. The guys that skied had the

advantage of skiing early on the first run, starting numbers one, two

and three. They are all placed one, two and three. It is all going to

change. Moelgg is ninth. That's all right.

The Italian supporters are happy with what they've seen. At least

they've got a man in the finish. They've also got the defending

champion coming up later, who starts at number 22. He won the gold four

years ago in Vancouver. At the moment, it is Matt's race.

They are beautifully set for the second run. We have three who have

failed to finish, including Herbst of Austria. Here is the man who has

set the pace. It is Mario Matt from Austria. He is one of the oldest and

so far the quickest. But still one of the most powerful men on the

slalom tour. That is what has kept him at the top of his game for so

long. They are queueing up at the top. It is a massive queue. It's

makes all the way up the mountain. 117 are due to start the first run.

Next to go will be Ted who has already claimed a goal. -- gold. He

is going to have to do something tasty to match the top times.

They get the rakes and shovels out to try and repair and make it

fairer. I cannot see this course is suiting Ted. It's too steep and too

long. There is not enough offset. Let's see how he goes. He is out of

the gate and into the pattern of gates for the final event of the

games, the slalom. See how his feet are slightly further away from the

gates and he is trying to turn and generate speed by skiing around a

line. -- a rounder line. He showed everybody how to win an

Olympic title with some sensational skiing. This is confident looking

skiing from him. He is within eight tenths of the lead. Not bad at all.

If you can stay on his feet and finish, he will not be far away from

Mario Matt. He has skied well. He is fifth. That is a great ski. Just

about the best slalom performance of his season so far. I eat my hat on

that one. It goes to show, when you've got a medal, how much easier

the Olympic Games becomes. That is the bar -- best slalom skiing I've

seen from him all season. It's on a course which should not have suited

his style Rhys -- really. But he had no mistakes at all. That is his

ultra-calve celebration of the finish. Don't try this at home. What

a run! That is encouraging for the later starters, especially those

starting after the next time out, the next course repair. Gross is

next to go. The 27-year-old Italian. He is the best of the Italians --

the best of the Italians is Moelgg at the moment.

I always find with Gross, that he drops his hand so low, it, for me,

puts the weight onto the back of the skis.

How close is Gross? Pretty good. He seems to be making the most of this

pattern of gates, which has been said by one of the German coaches.

Stefano Gross hasn't made any major mistakes and he is third. How about

that from number 17? Just a reminder of the standings

here.