Day 2, Part 2

:00:50. > :00:55.Here in Russia, they are justifiably proud of the arts and culture. This

:00:56. > :00:59.is a nation that has furnished us with some of the greatest music and

:01:00. > :01:04.most beautiful dance. Tchaikovsky, the Bolshoi Ballet, newer never, a

:01:05. > :01:09.combination of athleticism, grace and choreographed story telling that

:01:10. > :01:12.is quintessentially Russian. There's a prize that through the years, the

:01:13. > :01:21.Soviet Union and Russia have excelled at that winter sport that

:01:22. > :01:26.so embodies these qualities. That was a perfect programme. That was a

:01:27. > :01:35.breathtaking performance. A figure skating tradition that means a home

:01:36. > :01:40.nation expects. Once again, Gold medal goes to the Soviet Union. So,

:01:41. > :01:43.a sell-out crowd are expected here at the mag visit Iceberg Skating

:01:44. > :01:48.Palace, where later today, the medals will be one in the inaugural

:01:49. > :01:55.team Olympic competition. New stars in that most beguiling of Winter

:01:56. > :02:05.Olympics spectacle is. John Curry did not put a foot wrong. Robin

:02:06. > :02:09.Cousins, a great round of applause. Olympic gold for the greatest ice

:02:10. > :02:15.dancers of all time. Hello and welcome back to Sochi. Britain has

:02:16. > :02:18.its first medal of these games and its first-ever medal on snow,

:02:19. > :02:22.courtesy of Jenny Jones in the slopestyle. What a performance it

:02:23. > :02:26.was. Here, at the iceberg palace, Russia is hoping for its first gold

:02:27. > :02:30.medal. It is a significant moment for a host nation, and they are

:02:31. > :02:34.expecting it in the team figure skating on petition. It is sedate at

:02:35. > :02:39.the moment, but in an hour's time, when Evgeny Plushenko takes of the

:02:40. > :02:43.eyes, this place will go mad. He is skating in the men's free programme.

:02:44. > :02:49.We will see that live and catch up with any Jones. And there is all

:02:50. > :02:52.this to come as well. Petter Northug from Norway is

:02:53. > :02:55.defending Olympic champion in the men's skiathlon and says he will

:02:56. > :02:57.only be satisfied with gold, despite fitness concerns.

:02:58. > :03:00.The Dutch will be looking for more success in the speed skating

:03:01. > :03:06.following the men's clean sweep yesterday. Ireen Wust is their big

:03:07. > :03:09.hope in the women's 3000m. Can anyone stop Felix Loch in the

:03:10. > :03:15.luge? The defending champion from Germany has a commanding lead after

:03:16. > :03:18.the first two runs. And we will see the men's free

:03:19. > :03:28.skating programme in the team event, with Plushenko set to take centre

:03:29. > :03:32.stage once again. I am delighted to be joined by Robin

:03:33. > :03:36.Cousins, Olympic figure skating champion in 1980 in Lake Placid.

:03:37. > :03:40.Take that hat off for a minute, because you will be commentating for

:03:41. > :03:44.us, and put on your Team GB ambassador hat and talk about Jenny

:03:45. > :03:48.Jones 's. Amazing. I was in my room, jumping up and down, watching her

:03:49. > :03:54.form. So calm and controlled in that second run. I did every jump with

:03:55. > :04:01.her. The nominal. And they follow Bristolian. Really important for

:04:02. > :04:05.Team GB. It is. Everybody wants to kick-start the campaign, and it was

:04:06. > :04:08.not one we were expecting to take. Hopefully, it will start the

:04:09. > :04:11.avalanche. It is not just a big night for Russia, but over the

:04:12. > :04:15.course of the next two weeks, what are you looking forward to? I have

:04:16. > :04:20.to see what Plushenko can pull out of the bag. He has to compete in the

:04:21. > :04:22.team event. But has he got the stamina against all these young

:04:23. > :04:27.whippersnappers? There are maybe five or six men who could podium

:04:28. > :04:32.here, and none of them will let him have it easy. Do you think he will

:04:33. > :04:41.still be hungry? Absolutely. This is his home territory. The Russians are

:04:42. > :04:45.good and they want their medals. It is going to be red hot in here. We

:04:46. > :04:50.are going to head to the mountains now to the Lawro Centre for

:04:51. > :04:56.skiathlon and also for the biathlon and cross-country skiing. It is the

:04:57. > :05:00.men's 30 kilometre skiathlon. Norway won this for the women yesterday.

:05:01. > :05:12.What could Petter Northug do today? Here is a guide to the event.

:05:13. > :05:19.Petter Northug, on the right frame, poised and ready.

:05:20. > :05:33.Nine time world champion. Has the virus taken too much out of him?

:05:34. > :05:40.Four loops of classical, and then three five: Mrs is it is a freestyle

:05:41. > :05:46.to finish things off. -- three five kilometre circuits in freestyle to

:05:47. > :05:50.finish things off. We are used to seeing the Norwegians all in red,

:05:51. > :06:03.but the right leg just below the thigh is all-white. Number four is

:06:04. > :06:08.Alex Harvey, the Canadian. Number two has got a red bandanna on. How

:06:09. > :06:15.this crowd would be electrified and ignited if the big beast was able to

:06:16. > :06:18.produce something special here. That was a big burst from the Finnish

:06:19. > :06:26.athlete. He started in number 17 on the second row, but he wanted to get

:06:27. > :06:30.up front. He is a good, classic skier. We have not seen him really

:06:31. > :06:40.fulfil his potential. The Finns have been short of metal over the last

:06:41. > :06:44.few championships. Northug is the master tactician, and we he will try

:06:45. > :06:50.to play the tricks we saw him play in Vancouver. He got a bit unlucky

:06:51. > :06:53.in Vancouver. A competitor skied over the base of his pole and ripped

:06:54. > :06:57.the basket off. A poll without a basket is not good for the sort of

:06:58. > :07:05.sprint finish that Northug generates. He knew that, and gave up

:07:06. > :07:11.the ghost. They have only got 400m to go before they switched the long,

:07:12. > :07:17.classic skis with wax on for the short, skating skis that are purely

:07:18. > :07:26.waxed for speed. These guys need to make sure they get in and out

:07:27. > :07:30.cleanly, with no problems. The snow looks a bit firmer than it was for

:07:31. > :07:41.the women's race yesterday. We have not had as much sunshine today here

:07:42. > :07:48.at Laura. Richardson in second. Last, the other Swede in third. We

:07:49. > :07:58.are just looking to see if anybody runs into any technical problems.

:07:59. > :08:10.Most people seem to be in and out fairly quickly. We are coming up to

:08:11. > :08:16.the two kilometre to go mark, and look at how many men are still very

:08:17. > :08:20.much in the hunt. The defending Olympians are in that group. At a

:08:21. > :08:28.Norfolk, one of the greatest of all time, is number five. -- Petter

:08:29. > :08:31.Northug. We have two Frenchman. Crucially for the home crowd, we

:08:32. > :08:40.have got some useful Russians in there. How they would love to secure

:08:41. > :08:46.their first medal on home turf here. That would ignite their campaign.

:08:47. > :08:51.Final percent before they come into the stadium. They come down for

:08:52. > :08:55.around 250 metres along a little flat section over the bridge, and

:08:56. > :09:01.then decline starts. The steepest parts of the climb the first 100m

:09:02. > :09:10.and the last 200m. That is where this race could be won. They are

:09:11. > :09:31.about to take on this monstrous assent for the last time. Cologna is

:09:32. > :09:37.in number 21. The coaches are roaring instruction. This will be

:09:38. > :09:45.really hurting. It is even harder than it looks, this section of the

:09:46. > :09:55.course. The Olympic champion and world champion are right up the

:09:56. > :10:05.front. It is still too tight to call. Petter Northug is hanging on

:10:06. > :10:08.that group as best he can. I don't think anyone would have predicted we

:10:09. > :10:13.would have so many men fighting for the podium positions. Bearing in

:10:14. > :10:18.mind that this part of the track is open, one of them has lost a poll.

:10:19. > :10:22.That is desperately sad. At any other stage of the race, it would

:10:23. > :10:27.not have been a problem, but he has lost some 20 metres. There is a

:10:28. > :10:41.narrow part of the course as they work -the stadium. The two order ski

:10:42. > :10:49.winner is trying to take the inside line. He has the defending champion

:10:50. > :11:00.alongside him wearing 11. Now they are starting to sit red. Crucially

:11:01. > :11:14.for the Russians, they have two very much still in the hunt. These four

:11:15. > :11:23.are away and clear. How much excitement will be generated in the

:11:24. > :11:36.stadium. The defending Champions League. The world champion is in

:11:37. > :11:45.second place. Sundby is in third. This is the bid for glory from

:11:46. > :11:50.Hellner, and Sundby is not beaten yet either. All four men are pouring

:11:51. > :11:57.their hearts out on this most brutal of plans. Cologna is trying to come

:11:58. > :12:01.in from the outside. Can Sundby latch back onto the group using

:12:02. > :12:08.Hellner? Dario Cologna lost most of this season with an ankle injury.

:12:09. > :12:12.Could he produce an extraordinary performance here for a season that

:12:13. > :12:17.has so far brought him virtually nothing? He has got the advantage.

:12:18. > :12:23.This is the tricky turn. Needs to make sure he stays on his feet, but

:12:24. > :12:27.does not lose too much ground. It could be a battle royale for bronze

:12:28. > :12:34.here for top Cologna leads, Hellner in second, Sundby in third. But the

:12:35. > :12:38.Russian is getting himself in the hunt here, and the crowd are

:12:39. > :12:46.responding. This is so tight to get on the podium. What a performance

:12:47. > :12:50.from Dario Cologna. The big, strong man has made his move at executive

:12:51. > :12:54.right time. The defending champion is trying to close him down, but it

:12:55. > :13:01.looks as though Cologna is going to taste glory here in the skiathlon,

:13:02. > :13:09.as he did four years ago. Cologna takes it, a brilliant win. Hellner

:13:10. > :13:14.has to settle for silver. And Sundby has denied his opponent a medal by

:13:15. > :13:19.one tenth of a second. It promised to be a great race. It was a great

:13:20. > :13:23.race. And from nowhere, a season that promised nothing, Cologna has

:13:24. > :13:31.once again delivered at exactly the right time.

:13:32. > :13:36.Time now for the start of the day. You can see the big queues here for

:13:37. > :13:40.the iceberg palace. 38 of the 39 winners of Olympic gold medals in

:13:41. > :13:43.the luge have been German speakers. Don't expect that a change in

:13:44. > :13:54.Russia. We had now to the Sanki Sliding Center, where our

:13:55. > :13:57.commentators are standing by. Welcome, everybody, to the Sanki

:13:58. > :14:05.Sliding Center. It start high on the hill behind us, sweeps down 2013

:14:06. > :14:10.metres. Down below us, slightly counterintuitively, it comes up

:14:11. > :14:13.through the finish line, and the athletes in the luge will be coming

:14:14. > :14:20.off the ice and through the mixed zone beside us. Amy joins us. What

:14:21. > :14:26.do you think of the track? The track is amazing, the best I have seen.

:14:27. > :14:30.They have done an amazing job building it. The ice is fantastic.

:14:31. > :14:33.All the athletes are saying it is keeping its temperature. The whole

:14:34. > :14:38.track is covered full of the lights are all on, so it is lighting up the

:14:39. > :14:42.track for the athletes. There is consistent lighting the whole way

:14:43. > :14:47.down, so you don't have shadows. I would love to be sliding here. Ice

:14:48. > :14:53.conditions are crucial for any of the sliding events. Really crucial.

:14:54. > :14:56.The athletes and coaches are at the top, taking temperatures the whole

:14:57. > :15:00.way down, so you can tell how quickly it is going to frost up. You

:15:01. > :15:05.get frosting on the top, so that is a key thing. It has also kept its

:15:06. > :15:11.conditions. It is artificial, so it is all refrigerated. So they put a

:15:12. > :15:16.fine layer of water on the top which freezes so that it is beautiful and

:15:17. > :15:20.smooth, perfect for the sliders. I have heard that bobsleigh athletes

:15:21. > :15:25.think the skeleton lot are nuts, because you go headfirst. In

:15:26. > :15:28.skeleton, you are supposed to look at luge and think they are nuts!

:15:29. > :15:34.Each of the sliding sports thinks the other is crazy. Luge is the

:15:35. > :15:43.fastest. They can go up to 140 kilometres per hour. Maybe about a

:15:44. > :15:47.here. -- 130 here. We all think they are not evil is I would never go on

:15:48. > :15:51.a luge, feet first. I think that is crazy, and they think the same about

:15:52. > :15:56.skeleton! How much time do the athletes spend repairing mentally?

:15:57. > :16:09.How many slides do they get on the track in the build-up? They have

:16:10. > :16:15.been given a few extra days training and in official training you get six

:16:16. > :16:19.runs. And then you are here, Olympic races are over two days. The fastest

:16:20. > :16:26.come through to the final, like today. Today we are seeing runs

:16:27. > :16:37.three and runs for of the men's luge. Dominated over the years by

:16:38. > :16:44.the Germans, by? It is hard to say. They have four tracks in Germany to

:16:45. > :16:50.practice. They can perfect their skills. They have so much money

:16:51. > :16:55.going into research and development with equipment, probably more than

:16:56. > :17:03.any other nation. It is practice time, perfecting the steers. Who

:17:04. > :17:07.knows? Felix Loch, will he bring home gold? I think he will do it

:17:08. > :17:12.tonight. But the Russians, so close and the Italian close behind that.

:17:13. > :17:19.Thanks very much. Over into commentary. We will start with Felix

:17:20. > :17:26.Loch. Here are Colin Bryce and Paul Dickenson.

:17:27. > :17:31.Factory much. You can see -- thanks for a much. You can hear the

:17:32. > :17:34.atmosphere, it is at saluki brilliant. We are looking at the

:17:35. > :17:46.course and I will bring in Colin Bryce. 17 corners. The first, a big

:17:47. > :18:02.right-handed corner. Corner nine is 4.5 J. Big pressure. Down, very

:18:03. > :18:06.steep -- 4.5 G. Felix Loch hits 140 kilometres per hour yesterday, the

:18:07. > :18:14.leader, 87 mph, that is really fast, down the bottom. And that is the man

:18:15. > :18:29.in the lead. Felix Loch. He is preparing. Albert Demchenko is in

:18:30. > :18:33.second place. He is one to watch. Armin Zoeggeler, destined to become

:18:34. > :18:55.the man who has won six Olympic medals. This is the start list.

:18:56. > :18:57.Later today, as far as medals are concerned, the top five of the ones

:18:58. > :19:25.to watch. Three Norwegians. A couple of Canadians, including

:19:26. > :19:32.Mitchel Malyk. And the last page. It is all about Andi Langenhan... I am

:19:33. > :19:39.sorry, it is about Felix Loch, Albert Demchenko and Armin

:19:40. > :19:48.Zoeggeler. Six feet three, 90 five kilograms, the big German. Albert

:19:49. > :19:55.Dem Genco -- Albert Demchenko is behind by three tenths of a second.

:19:56. > :19:59.Tonight, the next two macro runs. It is an aggregate of four. Felix Loch

:20:00. > :20:10.said you have to be perfect. No mistake tonight. Felix Loch, the

:20:11. > :20:18.first man we see at the top of the run. The start is so important.

:20:19. > :20:29.That looks pretty useful. It is more than useful, it is outstanding. He

:20:30. > :20:44.upped his game. Back uphill, very unusual, that, but

:20:45. > :20:52.with so much body weight, he has great momentum down the track. Felix

:20:53. > :21:08.Loch is flying. You cannot imagine anybody moving faster on this track.

:21:09. > :21:17.16 degrees up the hill. 140.4 is a track record speed. Absolutely

:21:18. > :21:30.fantastic. Felix Loch has laid down a marker. That is fantastic.

:21:31. > :21:36.Unbelievable, he has taken three tenths of his own track record. The

:21:37. > :21:50.rest of the world have their work cut out. It was nigh on perfect.

:21:51. > :21:54.Shooting up the hill. It has a high apex. You are virtually facing

:21:55. > :22:01.upside down before you can see the exit of the corner. It is tricky.

:22:02. > :22:09.This is the man in second. It is down to him and no doubt a nation is

:22:10. > :22:20.holding their breath at the moment. Albert Demchenko, the man who has

:22:21. > :22:24.the tag of the Siberian tiger. He goes the Russia, the home nation. He

:22:25. > :22:33.is not a great starter, but it is not bad. That is his best start so

:22:34. > :22:38.far. Well done. I was worried about his back, he is the oldest man in

:22:39. > :22:43.the field at 42. Some people said this track was built for him. With

:22:44. > :22:51.these uphill sections, he is so heavy. He said he is 96 kilograms,

:22:52. > :22:58.he is more like 106. That was a good slide. He is still over. Four tenths

:22:59. > :23:06.of a second behind. He needs to make this up at the bottom. It is quick.

:23:07. > :23:13.It is going well. Staying in the middle of the track is the important

:23:14. > :23:22.thing. Oh my goodness. A new lifetime best for Albert Demchenko.

:23:23. > :23:28.That was quick. 88 mph. The fastest we have seen anybody slide. If only

:23:29. > :23:32.he could go quicker at the start. This is his seventh Olympics. He

:23:33. > :23:40.started in the bobsleigh in the 1980s. That leaves him over a third

:23:41. > :23:51.of a second behind Felix Loch with one run to go. It is not often that

:23:52. > :23:56.you see somebody whose other member of the family has Olympic

:23:57. > :24:04.aspirations, but his daughter has Olympic aspirations. She did not

:24:05. > :24:13.make the team this time. Armin Zoeggeler of Italy. He is after a

:24:14. > :24:19.medal. And for a very good reason. This will be six Olympics in a row.

:24:20. > :24:30.That he will have won a medal at. He took a bronze and since then to

:24:31. > :24:35.Olympic golds. Hat to accept a bronze in 2010. He is in a great

:24:36. > :24:46.position. About three tenths of a second behind Albert Demchenko. For

:24:47. > :24:50.him, it is about maintaining the bronze medal position and may going

:24:51. > :24:59.forward and attacking Albert Demchenko for the silver. It is

:25:00. > :25:03.brave sliding. At the moment, he is going after Albert Demchenko, after

:25:04. > :25:16.Felix Loch, as well. This is good sliding. Two big right hand to go.

:25:17. > :25:25.That was slower than Albert Demchenko. But he holds his third

:25:26. > :25:37.position. He will have to see how Andi Langenhan goes next. And then

:25:38. > :25:41.Reinhard Egger. Those three are in danger of creeping ahead of

:25:42. > :25:49.everybody else by some margin. Armin Zoeggeler has set the standard. He

:25:50. > :25:53.has won six World Championships, ten overall World Cup titles. He has

:25:54. > :25:58.just won the European Championship will stop he has done it all. The

:25:59. > :26:05.feeling is we have one more slide out of him. And then he will retire.

:26:06. > :26:10.That is what we have heard. Andi Langenhan in contention. He has

:26:11. > :26:22.it all to do. This could be a blistering start, it

:26:23. > :26:33.is a powerful movement. He took a shift to the left-hand, back to the

:26:34. > :26:38.right. That is a new start record. The ice is in perfect condition. The

:26:39. > :26:49.air temperature about zero degrees, the ice temperature -2.5. He does

:26:50. > :26:56.not carry the momentum that others do. He is quite a light man. He has

:26:57. > :27:01.to nail every corner perfectly. A tap on the wall would be disastrous.

:27:02. > :27:19.Head right back, trying to get the top speed. 1.34 and increasing to

:27:20. > :27:32.1.38. Not as fast as the others. But not a bad third run by this man. His

:27:33. > :27:40.fastest time comes on run three. It looks like he is destined to finish

:27:41. > :27:44.outside the medals. He is going quicker than the first run. He

:27:45. > :27:50.improved by a few tenths and now again. Armin Zoeggeler cannot afford

:27:51. > :27:56.to make a mistake in the final run. Andi Langenhan might be behind him,

:27:57. > :28:04.but he could make up the four tenths. He is improving. You have

:28:05. > :28:13.just seen the perfect line by Felix Loch and the line followed by Andi

:28:14. > :28:23.Langenhan. Reinhard Egger. Riding number five. He had a disappointing

:28:24. > :28:27.second run. The only man to go slower in the second run when the

:28:28. > :28:34.ice was cooler. You should have been going quicker but he faltered. That

:28:35. > :28:38.is the third fastest start we have seen so far. The difference between

:28:39. > :28:45.him and Felix Loch will be enormous here. 1.17. The important thing is

:28:46. > :29:03.if he can attack the likes of Armin Zoeggeler in third. It looks like

:29:04. > :29:08.Felix Loch and Albert Demchenko are well away from everybody else. Armin

:29:09. > :29:13.Zoeggeler is there to be attacked. Andi Langenhan is pretty close.

:29:14. > :29:22.Reinhard Egger is getting closer. That still is slower than the rest.

:29:23. > :29:29.It is his personal best time. 1.5 seconds behind third-place.

:29:30. > :29:33.Everybody jumped forward three tenths, four tenths from yesterday.

:29:34. > :29:44.The ice is not that much colder. I do not know what the Icemeister has

:29:45. > :29:51.done. He must have polished it up overnight to make it more

:29:52. > :29:58.interesting this evening. He does not quite have the start yet. A

:29:59. > :30:06.little bit sideways. Corrections. The right foot pulling. Every time

:30:07. > :30:17.you steer, you are cutting the ice and it slows you down. What can

:30:18. > :30:22.Pavlichenko do about that? We will soon find out. The medal race is

:30:23. > :30:29.certainly not over by any stretch of the imagination. It looks as though

:30:30. > :30:45.Felix Loch will win with Albert Demchenko in second. Pavlichenko has

:30:46. > :30:49.it all to do. I like this man, Pavlichenko. He has really moved up

:30:50. > :30:56.over the last couple of days in Sochi. He is performing under

:30:57. > :31:01.massive basher on home ice. How close is he to Reinhard ergo 's --

:31:02. > :31:11.Reinhard Eggert? That is a solid slide from the

:31:12. > :31:19.Russian. The speed here is crucial up the hill. It certainly is good.

:31:20. > :31:27.What is the speed coming down through the final corner? That is

:31:28. > :31:36.good. He has jumped up to fourth place. Goodness me. Wow, that gets

:31:37. > :31:42.the Russian crowd going. Certainly does. Imagine if he got ahead of

:31:43. > :31:49.Armin Zoggeler in the final run. They have still got one more to go,

:31:50. > :31:57.the aggregate of all of them. They could have the silver and bronze

:31:58. > :32:03.medal here. It will need Armin Zoggeler to have a mistake and for

:32:04. > :32:10.him to have an ace of a run in the final run. Wow. We have certainly

:32:11. > :32:24.seen a bit of a landmark performance here. He believes he has got a

:32:25. > :32:39.chance of making third place. So Aleksander Peretyagin has to follow

:32:40. > :32:47.Pavlichenko. Peretyagin is going for gold. It sits 17th in the overall

:32:48. > :32:53.world rankings. That is the home ice advantage for you. It is a solid

:32:54. > :32:58.enough start, but not amazing. It is the seventh fastest start we have

:32:59. > :33:18.seen so far, and he is the seventh man down the hill. Absolutely

:33:19. > :33:40.hurtling down and gaining momentum all the time. That speed is close to

:33:41. > :33:48.absolute capacity. He has gone ahead of the Austrian. He is in sixth

:33:49. > :33:52.place. The Russians are in second, fourth and sixth position. This is

:33:53. > :34:00.going to be a fascinating fourth and final run, especially for the

:34:01. > :34:07.Russian crowd. The Icemeister has got it right. Between you and me,

:34:08. > :34:11.the Icemeister was told to leave in a couple of bombs, which may well

:34:12. > :34:23.help the Russians -- a couple of dumps. Or it may help everyone, if

:34:24. > :34:36.they can see them. Peretyagin's best time. Dominik Fischnaller now. I

:34:37. > :34:47.wonder if he has got a chance of making it into the medals. He will

:34:48. > :35:05.be expecting in excess of his best start time. This is a good athlete,

:35:06. > :35:10.a young man. He could be an Olympic champion of the future. He has

:35:11. > :35:19.improved astronomically over the last season. Even if fourth in the

:35:20. > :35:22.overall World Cup rankings. The Russians have a big advantage in

:35:23. > :35:28.that they have seen this track hundreds of times. As Amy said, the

:35:29. > :35:46.rest of the sliders have had six official training runs. This speed

:35:47. > :36:03.is actually pretty good. It is. He moves up to fifth place. Armin

:36:04. > :36:25.Zoggeler is watching, almost like a father figure. Let's see how similar

:36:26. > :36:55.the airlines are. Wolfgang Kindl goes next. The second

:36:56. > :37:05.Austrian we have seen. Reinhard ergo was the first. He had a poor run.

:37:06. > :37:21.Wolfgang Kindl has got to get his fastest start time. That is the same

:37:22. > :37:27.as his best spot time so far. He is not a great starter. He is not a big

:37:28. > :37:51.guy either. He can't afford to make a mistake. This drops away heavily,

:37:52. > :38:03.then up the hill. Going well so far. This is a loan top speed. That is

:38:04. > :38:08.the eighth fastest run we have seen so far. Drops him into ninth

:38:09. > :38:16.position, behind his compatriot, Reinhard Egger.

:38:17. > :38:20.The rest of run three will be live on the red button. And then from

:38:21. > :38:24.4.30, again on the red button, it will be run number four, Felix Loch

:38:25. > :38:32.again trying to defend his title. Now, if the Germans are owning the

:38:33. > :38:36.luge, what about this venue here, the Adler Arena firm on speed

:38:37. > :38:41.skating? It is probably the Dutch. Tonight, one of their big superstars

:38:42. > :38:45.goes in the women's 3000m. I suspect she will be inspired by what her

:38:46. > :38:53.team-mates died yesterday in the five K. -- what her team-mates did

:38:54. > :39:06.yesterday. Heat ten, the men's 5000m.

:39:07. > :39:13.Cramer is the man. That is the classic style of arguably the

:39:14. > :39:21.greatest 5000m skater of all time. Sven Kramer has defended his crown.

:39:22. > :39:30.The crowd loved it. So, Kramer yesterday. Will it be

:39:31. > :39:41.Wust today? The skaters are called to be Mark.

:39:42. > :39:42.Left a vast green, there she is, the American skater, with her opponent

:39:43. > :40:01.on the inside, from Russia. Just listen to the support,

:40:02. > :40:15.resonating around the arena here for the Russian. They are both shy of

:40:16. > :40:19.the leading time, but there is plenty of time to put that right.

:40:20. > :40:29.Both skaters have very different styles. The American in the balloon

:40:30. > :40:37.has a much more slow technique. The Russian is almost dancing across the

:40:38. > :40:41.eyes, much quicker with her strides. The American, Rookard, was 12th in

:40:42. > :40:50.Vancouver in this event. And she was eight in the 5000m. At the moment,

:40:51. > :40:58.Rookard is the quicker and nearer to the time of the skater from the

:40:59. > :41:12.Netherlands. Rookard, on the outer lane, at Graf comes in on the

:41:13. > :41:21.inside. The radius of the curve is a lot smaller. A very tight tuck

:41:22. > :41:29.position from the Russian. And her left arm is very relaxed, allowing

:41:30. > :41:33.the body to flow from left to right. Graf has now gone ahead of Rookard.

:41:34. > :41:38.The Russian has committed herself now in a bid to try and get to the

:41:39. > :41:55.top of the leaderboard. Let's look at the time here. Has she got

:41:56. > :42:03.closer? Yes, she has. 30 years of age, this Russian, and now beginning

:42:04. > :42:13.to use their experience. That was a very good lap by Graf. Just three

:42:14. > :42:23.laps to go. Ill looking very comfortable technically. The crowd

:42:24. > :42:32.are really lived getting behind her. What is Graf going to finally

:42:33. > :42:38.finish up with? They are going ballistic in the arena. Graf looking

:42:39. > :42:44.very good indeed, trying to put down a serious message here. And she is

:42:45. > :42:54.right on the time of Van Der Weijden of the Netherlands. Timing her final

:42:55. > :43:00.delivery to perfection. Van Der Weijden looks at the clock and

:43:01. > :43:08.suddenly realises that the leaders -- leader of the competition could

:43:09. > :43:27.no longer be hers. What is the clock going to tell us this time? There it

:43:28. > :43:34.is. She is flying. She is going to end up with a time of about 4.4. Has

:43:35. > :43:45.she still got some power left in the legs? Look how far ahead she is of

:43:46. > :43:54.the leader's time, powering her way to the line, all go Graf of Russia.

:43:55. > :44:01.The new leader! The crowd are going absolutely wild. She has really

:44:02. > :44:13.thrown the gauntlet down to the others. And there is the jubilation,

:44:14. > :44:28.both arms in the air. Pair 12 of the ladies 3000m. On the outside is the

:44:29. > :44:46.Polish skater. And on the inside, Sablikova. The first marker.

:44:47. > :45:00.Bachleda-Curus, she has gone off the mark quicker. She got a personal

:45:01. > :45:07.best time of 4.02. I think the tactics of Sablikova, not going to

:45:08. > :45:17.click at the moment, is probably a little bit better. -- not going to

:45:18. > :45:25.quickly. Sablikova, she is content to tap out the rhythm and wait until

:45:26. > :45:31.the closing stages. She got a good skate in Vancouver in the 1500

:45:32. > :45:35.metres, digging up the bronze. And a good performance in the World

:45:36. > :45:39.Championships at this distance, finishing sixth. You can see how

:45:40. > :45:51.close it is. Still in the early stages. Martina Sablikova is finding

:45:52. > :45:54.her rhythm. Not having to pay the price in the later stages of the

:45:55. > :46:03.races, the Polish athletes just drafting, and that will help her

:46:04. > :46:07.Almensch Belete. The Polish team have improved over the past four

:46:08. > :46:15.years with a view to a medal in the team pursuit. Bachleda-Curus, she

:46:16. > :46:28.won a bronze medal in Vancouver for the team pursuit.

:46:29. > :46:35.Martina Sablikova has also competed in the world cycling road time trial

:46:36. > :46:46.championships. She was a competitor when the Championships took place in

:46:47. > :46:50.Holland a couple of years ago. Experience is reflecting. Martina

:46:51. > :46:57.Sablikova has moved into the lead. Just over one second quicker than

:46:58. > :47:02.Olga Graf. In the middle, Ireen Wust of the Netherlands. She is watching

:47:03. > :47:11.closely because this is her nemesis. Martina Sablikova is so often the

:47:12. > :47:25.skater Ireen Wust hast to beat. Sablikova, you could see, sitting

:47:26. > :47:46.deeper. A fabulous time. 1.19 seconds in front of Olga Graf of

:47:47. > :47:58.Russia. 4.0243, that is the track record. It could go here if Martina

:47:59. > :48:07.Sablikova comes through. Look at the encouragement being given by the

:48:08. > :48:18.coach. Coming around the bend and lining for the run to the line. The

:48:19. > :48:31.clock is ticking. Approaching the line. Martina Sablikova goes into

:48:32. > :48:32.the lead in the competition. That is a new draft record by Martina

:48:33. > :49:00.Sablikova. Ireen Wust, the current world and

:49:01. > :49:07.European champion. Ireen Wust already at the Olympic gold

:49:08. > :49:17.medallist for this race in Italy and already blazing her way out of the

:49:18. > :49:25.blocks. She said in interview earlier that she wanted to skate a

:49:26. > :49:30.technically good race. She was not too concerned about the time. It was

:49:31. > :49:37.more important to skate technically well. But she seems to be flying.

:49:38. > :49:42.Ireen Wust with the emphatic style that impresses so greatly. 1.75

:49:43. > :49:51.seconds ahead already. She is in the groove. The coach is encouraging

:49:52. > :50:02.her. The coach of Sven Kramer. He knows what it is to be one of

:50:03. > :50:11.Holland's best all-time coaches. And the Queen of the ice, Ireen Wust,

:50:12. > :50:16.coming down with five laps to go. 2.21 seconds ahead. If she can

:50:17. > :50:21.maintain this, she would be inside four minutes of the distance. Only

:50:22. > :50:25.one woman has ever gone inside the four-minute barrier and you are

:50:26. > :50:34.looking at her. Ireen Wust has done it twice. This is at sea level. It

:50:35. > :50:40.is important we have two records, one at sea level and one at

:50:41. > :50:50.altitude. She is the only woman who has gone twice under the four-minute

:50:51. > :50:55.barrier at sea level. The Olympic record has been achieved at

:50:56. > :51:00.altitude. But she is flying. Again, the coaches encouraging her. The

:51:01. > :51:07.Dutch Gold Rush looks like it will continue. They had gold in the 5000

:51:08. > :51:17.metres with Sven Kramer. They did a teensy -- clean sweep. It does not

:51:18. > :51:22.look like a clean sweep here. Ireen Wust is really delivering. The

:51:23. > :51:30.speculation about her form is beginning to unfold. What a talent

:51:31. > :51:33.she is. A monumental effort. Sending out a massive message to the rest of

:51:34. > :51:42.the skaters, coming down the finishing straight again. Two laps

:51:43. > :51:51.to go. Take a look at the split time. 2.7 seconds. Almost three

:51:52. > :51:59.seconds ahead of Martina Sablikova. This will be something like three

:52:00. > :52:05.minutes and 59 seconds. She looks comfortable. Almost not grasping for

:52:06. > :52:10.oxygen. Looking very good. The last lap would almost be one of her

:52:11. > :52:20.fastest laps. Could this be a gold-medal lap? What will the time

:52:21. > :52:26.the Abbey" smack the Dutch are on their feet and the applause is

:52:27. > :52:39.resonating around the arena. This will surely be a gold-medal skate.

:52:40. > :52:53.What will it be? No, it has just slipped away, but that must surely

:52:54. > :53:02.be the gold-medal skate. It was a superb bit of skating. I think that

:53:03. > :53:06.could be the gold-medal salute. Just to confirm, Ireen Wust took

:53:07. > :53:19.gold. Martina Sablikova for the Czech Republic. And Olga Graf.

:53:20. > :53:30.More gold for the Dutch in the Adler Arena. Just around the corner, where

:53:31. > :53:35.the athletes' entrance is, there is a bicycle park and it is full of

:53:36. > :53:38.orange bikes. The Dutch always bring their bikes. But because of

:53:39. > :53:45.security, they had to bring them in a container months ago. They have

:53:46. > :53:49.been sitting here, waiting for the Dutch to arrive. There are lots of

:53:50. > :53:54.ways to watch the Olympics on the BBC.

:53:55. > :54:01.Watch the excitement of the Winter Olympics with BBC sport. We are

:54:02. > :54:05.showing every sport live from Sochi. With six streams of live

:54:06. > :54:14.sport showing across your devices, you will be in control of all the

:54:15. > :54:20.action. Check out the live updates. Catch up on any action you have

:54:21. > :54:23.missed. So you can share in the drama where ever you are. The Winter

:54:24. > :54:47.Olympics across the BBC. John Curry did not put a foot wrong.

:54:48. > :55:02.Robin Cousins, the gold medallist of 1980. Olympic gold medals for the

:55:03. > :55:07.greatest ice dancers of all time. It has been quite a day already but

:55:08. > :55:11.as far as the Russians are concerned, there is only one place

:55:12. > :55:18.to be as Russia go for gold in the team figure skating competition. At

:55:19. > :55:20.the moment, it looks good for them. They stand in first place, six

:55:21. > :55:34.points clear of Canada. It is for the Russians to lose. I

:55:35. > :55:41.can hand over to the commentary team, Sue Barker and Robin Cousins.

:55:42. > :55:48.It is Russia's Toulouse and this is the man they will be looking to

:55:49. > :55:52.first. Evgeni Plushenko. We thought his Olympics had ended after

:55:53. > :55:56.Vancouver but he decided to come back. You are about to hear a huge

:55:57. > :56:13.cheer because he has just been introduced. Robin, we are going to

:56:14. > :56:20.be interested tonight to see if he can last. Whether he has the

:56:21. > :56:24.stamina. He said it was difficult to perform his programme all the way

:56:25. > :56:30.through. He felt the pressure of the crowd. He said, by the end, he loved

:56:31. > :56:36.it. I am worried whether he can contain that stamina. We know he is

:56:37. > :56:45.in good shape, but can he put it all together? He has not had many times

:56:46. > :56:48.out this season, if any. We know he has great bravado and can deliver

:56:49. > :56:54.under pressure and this is what everyone is waiting to see. He will

:56:55. > :56:58.start and then the 15-year-old Russian who was so impressive

:56:59. > :57:09.yesterday, she will be carrying Russia's hopes in the ladies. Russia

:57:10. > :57:14.very much the favourites for the gold medal. That is what they came

:57:15. > :57:33.here for. Canada might be -- might have been a slight favourites, but

:57:34. > :57:38.it is all about Russia. First, the skater who finished 10th, below

:57:39. > :57:42.Britain's Matthew Parr. He had made mistakes in an overambitious

:57:43. > :57:45.programme on Thursday. Now for the free programme. In the Italian

:57:46. > :58:16.championships, he failed on the court, but landed triples. -- quad.

:58:17. > :58:34.It was a core -- quadruple salchow that failed him. Feet crossed. Not

:58:35. > :58:35.able to get any exit on that. A mandatory one point deduction for

:58:36. > :59:19.the fall. The second of his triple axles. And

:59:20. > :59:21.again, does not get the posture stance right on the landings.

:59:22. > :00:12.Another one point deduction. MUSIC CHANGES TO "BOHEMIAN

:00:13. > :00:49.RHAPSODY". Double axle, double salchow in that

:00:50. > :01:22.combination. After his triple jumps, triple

:01:23. > :02:40.lutz. Just a double. Just not his night. We know he can

:02:41. > :02:44.do the programme. He has landed the triples before, but may be getting

:02:45. > :02:48.overawed by sharing the ice with Evgeni Plushenko, a legend in

:02:49. > :02:52.skating and a hero to so many of the skaters here. He just seemed

:02:53. > :02:58.overawed, with a number of mistakes. Not what he would have wanted, but

:02:59. > :03:02.he has more time to come before the individual in the men's event to get

:03:03. > :03:10.the jitters out of his system. Absolutely, just use the time and

:03:11. > :03:14.experience. He can do the jumps with ease. He can certainly rotate

:03:15. > :03:26.nicely, but was slightly off-kilter from the beginning. Not over his

:03:27. > :03:29.blades on the take-off enough. I also did not think he particularly

:03:30. > :03:39.used the gorgeous arrangement of that Queen Symphony. It was not well

:03:40. > :03:50.horrid graft and laid out for me. -- not well choreographed. Gave himself

:03:51. > :04:17.time to prepare for the double toe loop.

:04:18. > :04:24.Italian skating is really growing. They have Carolyn Kostner, the

:04:25. > :04:28.European champion. And another as well. What marks with the judges

:04:29. > :04:41.give? A new season's best, despite that

:04:42. > :04:55.two point deduction, so the Italian camp are very happy. So, for the

:04:56. > :04:59.moment, he is in the lead. But of course, this is all about the team,

:05:00. > :05:01.and they are announcing that they are in third place at the moment.

:05:02. > :05:17.Still four to skate. I have so been looking forward to

:05:18. > :05:21.seeing this young man skate here. Jason Brown, nine years of age.

:05:22. > :05:25.Burst onto the scene at the US nationals. He wowed the judges and

:05:26. > :05:31.the crowd to claim second place and his first trip to an Olympic games,

:05:32. > :05:37.his first major international at senior level. His joy on the ice has

:05:38. > :05:38.made him a crowd pleaser. His upbeat programme and music from Riverdance

:05:39. > :05:59.has captivated many new fans. There are no quadruple jumps for

:06:00. > :06:05.Jason Brown. Everything including the triple axles are in combination.

:06:06. > :06:36.It is the overall performance that comes together as one. Let's hope it

:06:37. > :06:41.works for him again tonight. The double axel to open, but now he

:06:42. > :06:45.needs the triple axel, preferably in combination. Triple axel, triple toe

:06:46. > :07:08.loop. Very nice indeed. He pushed up the level to a level

:07:09. > :07:26.four. Extra credit for the difficult entry

:07:27. > :08:42.into that second triple axel. Triple looks half loop, triple

:08:43. > :08:53.salchow. He overcooked the salchow take-off. A1 point mandatory

:08:54. > :09:03.deduction for the fall. Triple flip a double toe loop.

:09:04. > :09:16.Again, an interesting entry into the relatively easy double axel. And the

:09:17. > :10:00.same into the triple lutz. The last of his triples, triple

:10:01. > :10:27.loop. Very, very nice. What a great

:10:28. > :10:31.Olympic debut. Yes, of course, he has got to have the difficult in the

:10:32. > :10:35.jumps and he has got to find the quad, but boy, does he understand

:10:36. > :10:38.the power of performance. His performance lead, and that was

:10:39. > :10:44.obvious in the way the routine was put together. Yes, the double axel

:10:45. > :10:49.is all need to be triples and we need a couple of those triples to

:10:50. > :10:54.become a quad, but the package was wonderful. There is much to be proud

:10:55. > :10:58.of and to work with. One of the triples I am going to question and

:10:59. > :11:07.would want a replay if I was a judge to make sure there was not a two

:11:08. > :11:19.foot touched down. He will lose a point for the fall. But what an

:11:20. > :11:22.amazing few months he has had. That US Championships, he really did

:11:23. > :11:27.burst on the scene. Nobody really knew him before. He was not expected

:11:28. > :11:31.to make the US team, but he delivered a great performance, and

:11:32. > :11:35.he has done it again here. Lovely lift on the triple axel. The free

:11:36. > :11:47.leg is so close to the ice on the landings.

:11:48. > :11:57.Just making the rotation on that second one. He has great flexible

:11:58. > :11:59.tea as well within the spin and could pick up extra points for

:12:00. > :12:02.difficult entry is going into the jump, like a spiral lift going into

:12:03. > :12:23.the triple lutz. The lutz was good. Just did not have

:12:24. > :12:28.as much speed as he needed. Again, you see how close to free foot is.

:12:29. > :12:32.He crossed over on the landing and does not get where he needs to be to

:12:33. > :12:37.get a free flow and running out out of that. So often, they have the

:12:38. > :12:40.jumps and not the performance, but he has got to find the height and

:12:41. > :12:49.those jumps. It is fingers crossed for America.

:12:50. > :12:56.Not a season's best, but a wonderful component score for the

:12:57. > :13:03.presentation. He needs to work on the technical score, but the judges

:13:04. > :13:06.appreciated the presentation. No wonder he is smiling. At the

:13:07. > :13:23.moment, the USA are in second place. Now we are going from a skater who

:13:24. > :13:27.does not have a quad to one who has landed five in competition in the

:13:28. > :13:31.short and the long programme Tom and he is planning three tonight, Robin?

:13:32. > :13:38.Three quads from Kevin Reynolds tonight. Had an amazing last season.

:13:39. > :13:42.He finished a strong fifth at the World Championships, but he has been

:13:43. > :13:45.talking here about having trouble with his boots. He has not found

:13:46. > :13:51.boots that fit him. His feet are too narrow. You must know how important

:13:52. > :13:54.boots are. They have got to fit, but that is something you take care of

:13:55. > :13:59.at the beginning of the season. It depends how quickly they break down

:14:00. > :14:02.within a season. You only have one pair going at once. It is not like

:14:03. > :14:07.you have a future choose from all stop so if your favourite pair

:14:08. > :14:15.started a wrong, we know with Javier Hernandez, he is wearing his skates

:14:16. > :14:27.with duct tape on. Kevin Reynolds of Canada. Three quadruple jumps are

:14:28. > :14:32.planned. Two toe loops, and one salchow. It is the salchow that he

:14:33. > :14:40.plans to open this performance with. The quad, toe loop, triple toe.

:14:41. > :15:33.Wonderful. Triple axel, triple toe loop

:15:34. > :15:37.combination he would like to get. There was just too much of a throw

:15:38. > :15:38.from the arms and shoulders to control the rotation on the triple

:15:39. > :16:45.axel. He does have another planned. Will it be quad number three? And

:16:46. > :18:03.yes, it is. The triple lutz. Just the triple

:18:04. > :18:54.salchow to go. And he has it with a double toe loop.

:18:55. > :19:11.APPLAUSE APPLAUSE three very nice quadruple jumps.

:19:12. > :19:16.Just a shame about the one missing triple axel. But, goodness me, for

:19:17. > :19:23.such a slight frame, he has great power.

:19:24. > :19:32.Just comparing him with Jason. They are both tall men. But he gets such

:19:33. > :19:39.height on his jumps and he rotates so fast. It is the rotation and

:19:40. > :19:44.timing of the take-offs. Jason's jumps are probably bigger, but Kevin

:19:45. > :19:49.has such a quality about the way he jumps. His timing. He is quite

:19:50. > :20:05.unique. Exactly the same every time, which is why the quadruples

:20:06. > :20:13.seem so easy to do. Four rotations and a light comic easy exit. The

:20:14. > :20:27.same thing with the toe loop. Easy. -- light and easy. He throws the arm

:20:28. > :20:33.too much effort, for me. He overcook sits slightly. You want to try to

:20:34. > :20:40.land the toe onto the ice, with the free leg at the same time. He got it

:20:41. > :20:48.together for the second quarter toe loop. We will try to concentrate on

:20:49. > :20:52.the marks. The crowd are concentrating on the person on the

:20:53. > :20:57.ice, because the great Evgeni Plushenko has taken to the ice.

:20:58. > :21:03.We'll Kevin be able to close the gap on Russia? They have such a lead in

:21:04. > :21:09.the competition. Six points before today, but it is ten points for the

:21:10. > :21:15.first verse in and nine points and so on. If Kevin can finish above

:21:16. > :21:29.Plushenko, he will close the gap. A wonderful technical score. 78 is not

:21:30. > :21:36.to be sniffed out for a second mark. The spins were of quality and very

:21:37. > :21:42.clever. It is not just the jumps. Team Canada are celebrating. The

:21:43. > :22:02.crowd only have eyes for who is on the ice. And there he years, Evgeni

:22:03. > :22:07.Plushenko. -- he is. He is feeling the pressure. He came here are

:22:08. > :22:12.untested, but undaunted. Others may have doubted him, but that did not

:22:13. > :22:17.cross his mind. He is one of the great show men. The talk before the

:22:18. > :22:26.games, at the age of 31, is he ageing, all, is he ageless? He was

:22:27. > :22:30.back to his best in the short programme. The question is, does he

:22:31. > :22:41.have the stamina for four and a half minutes?

:22:42. > :22:52.He will want to macro quads and two triple axels. -- two. He wants it in

:22:53. > :23:09.combination with a triple. Quadruple toe loop.

:23:10. > :23:16.The second quad, if he does it, has to be in combination. No a triple

:23:17. > :25:13.lutz. A triple axel, double toe, double

:25:14. > :25:31.loop. It landed on the ice before he had taken off!

:25:32. > :25:41.The triple lutz, triple toe loop. That is the combo he needed. Double

:25:42. > :27:24.salchow. APPLAUSE AND CHEERING full a

:27:25. > :27:29.standing ovation. They love to see him back competing. And for the

:27:30. > :27:34.first minutes it was vintage Plushenko. It ran out of energy

:27:35. > :27:38.towards the end. That does not matter. He has come here, he has

:27:39. > :27:43.performed, and he will help Russia take this gold medal. He will not

:27:44. > :27:48.fall too far behind out of this group of five. He is soaking this

:27:49. > :27:53.in. One of the great show men on the ice. He has hardly skated into years

:27:54. > :28:01.and he took to the ice and he owned it. It was a very clever programme

:28:02. > :28:05.because he did what he needed to do and just enough. It fell short at

:28:06. > :28:12.the end with the double salchow, the double loop and a double axel. This

:28:13. > :28:17.is not a routine he will be able to repeat next week, if he wants to get

:28:18. > :28:22.on the podium. He will need to lay everything down because as wonderful

:28:23. > :28:27.as the quads and triples are and the bravado of the upper body

:28:28. > :28:36.performance, what defeat do in the step sequences and in the spins, not

:28:37. > :28:41.as strong. He came back to skate at his home Olympics. He has won

:28:42. > :28:45.everything, but wild jam pits, the Olympic gold medal. He wanted to

:28:46. > :28:55.come to win a gold medal for Russia in Sochi. He opened with a solid

:28:56. > :29:05.quarter toe loop. He knew he did not need the combination, going in. It

:29:06. > :29:15.was easy into the rotation on the triple axel. The second triple axel.

:29:16. > :29:20.The double toe loop, double loop jump. He jumped in the wrong

:29:21. > :29:25.direction and landed before he had taken off! He wanted the triple

:29:26. > :29:30.salchow. It was just the double and the same with the loop. The spins

:29:31. > :29:39.are not of the ilk that they used to be. 16 years ago he made his debut

:29:40. > :29:45.at the World Championships. And he is at the Olympics in 2014. Russia

:29:46. > :29:58.in the driving seat for the gold medal. The crowd do not like the

:29:59. > :30:02.score, but it is what we expected. That puts him just ahead of Kevin

:30:03. > :30:11.Reynolds. Robin, you don't agree? I am very surprised. It is the

:30:12. > :30:16.component score that has helped him. It is a lot more than Reynolds

:30:17. > :30:19.had. They liked the presentation and skills he showed, and that was why

:30:20. > :30:23.they gave him the mark. So at the moment, he is leading, meaning

:30:24. > :30:32.Russia leads in this competition, with just want to go.

:30:33. > :30:38.And the Japan 20 three-year-old Tatsuki Machida, second in the

:30:39. > :30:45.national championships to the one who won the short programme. But he

:30:46. > :30:51.is rested, and Machida comes in. He has had a strong season, including

:30:52. > :30:54.skate America. And he has booked his place here on a very strong Japanese

:30:55. > :31:04.team, three incredibly strong skaters. He has three times been a

:31:05. > :31:09.grand prix gold medallist. He completed in the four condoms twice

:31:10. > :31:44.-- the four continents twice. It is the Firebird, by Stravinsky. I

:31:45. > :31:57.have to say, I am a big fan of this programme.

:31:58. > :32:52.Would have been a second quad in combination.

:32:53. > :34:34.I love the fact that so far, through every movement, step sequences

:34:35. > :34:38.within the spins, the arms have reflected the birdlike movement to

:34:39. > :34:55.go with the music and the choreography. Triple loop.

:34:56. > :35:20.Very quick and easy into the triple lutz. Triple flip, double toe.

:35:21. > :36:10.Triple salchow. And what an ending. A beautiful

:36:11. > :36:16.routine, the same routine he had last year, but when it works, used

:36:17. > :36:21.equip it. He has a beautiful style. It sits on him very well. It had

:36:22. > :36:25.been planned out perfectly. The jumps are where they need to be. He

:36:26. > :36:30.usually has the two quads back-to-back, but the triple axels,

:36:31. > :36:34.the footwork, the camel spins, everything was there. It is a lovely

:36:35. > :36:38.piece of work. He has not been too consistent of late, but he made it

:36:39. > :36:41.happen when he needed to in the Japanese Championships, and that was

:36:42. > :36:45.not a bad showing tonight. And at the Russian Grand Prix as well, but

:36:46. > :36:54.at the Japanese Championships, how strong was that?

:36:55. > :37:08.There was great depth in the men's and ladies' in Japan. I can't stress

:37:09. > :37:11.enough that all these skaters are having a chance to get on the ice in

:37:12. > :37:15.the team event, because Japan don't really have a chance of getting on

:37:16. > :37:21.the medal podium, but it is great for these skaters to get out and

:37:22. > :37:25.soak up the atmosphere. Glorious rotation, look at that order

:37:26. > :37:32.position on the exit of the jump. Absolutely textbook. Not so on the

:37:33. > :37:57.second attempt at the quad. Triple axel. Double toe loop. So,

:37:58. > :38:03.Robin, where will you put him? Interestingly enough, I have got

:38:04. > :38:08.Kurt Browning, the former world champion, sitting behind us, and he

:38:09. > :38:11.gave me that quizzical look over the marking of Plushenko as well. We

:38:12. > :38:16.will talk about that. Again, I have got to look at the overall

:38:17. > :38:19.performance and quality. Whilst I have to applaud what Plushenko does,

:38:20. > :38:24.I feel there is a certain amount of smoke and mirrors in a bit of that.

:38:25. > :38:33.This one, I would say for me but I don't thing it is going to happen. I

:38:34. > :38:40.think he will go below Reynolds as well. He has indeed. Well, he is

:38:41. > :38:45.happy. But that has him in third lace. So once again, it is Canada

:38:46. > :38:51.and Russia that lead the competition. They stay out in front,

:38:52. > :38:58.and Russia extend their lead over Canada, because against all the

:38:59. > :39:01.odds, Evgeni Plushenko has come in to win this free programme. And of

:39:02. > :39:06.course, he will be back for the men's competition, if his body can

:39:07. > :39:12.hold up. He is 31 years old and he has had 12 back surgeries as well.

:39:13. > :39:16.He may have won that tonight, but that performance will not get him on

:39:17. > :40:11.the podium in a week's time, not even close to it.

:40:12. > :40:14.JONATHAN EDWARDS: as Sue said, the ladies are coming up shortly.

:40:15. > :41:00.It will be live on the red button. Only the most determined, the most

:41:01. > :41:07.resilient, the most impervious to pain, only the best, climb back up

:41:08. > :41:24.the mountain and fly straight off the edge. All over again.

:41:25. > :41:30.Yes, you have guessed it, it is Jenny Jones' time. But before we get

:41:31. > :41:35.into that, I have to draw your attention to the Russian folk music

:41:36. > :41:40.going on behind me. We had Evgeni Plushenko giving it his all, try to

:41:41. > :41:43.take the gold medal. And on the big screen, we had Russian folk dancers

:41:44. > :41:51.and this music. I don't know what the organisers were thinking, but

:41:52. > :41:55.back to Jenny Jones. I can't help wondering about the conversation

:41:56. > :41:59.between our Ski Sunday presenters. How long have our skiers been trying

:42:00. > :42:06.to win a medal on the snow? 90 years. The snowboarders did it first

:42:07. > :42:15.time. This was how she did it. We are ready for the second round

:42:16. > :42:28.here of the women slopestyle. It is all on the line now. A slight clip

:42:29. > :42:41.on the rail catching her edge ever so slightly off the canon. Cab 720.

:42:42. > :42:47.Clipped the knuckle again. This is not going to improve on that score.

:42:48. > :42:54.No. It is harsh to say. That is really unfortunate. Silje Norendal

:42:55. > :43:01.is such a progressive rider and she can really throw down, so that is

:43:02. > :43:08.really unfortunate. Next up, Jenny Jones. Jenny's experience will come

:43:09. > :43:14.to the fore here. She has been in these high-pressure situations. Nice

:43:15. > :43:22.and solid on the first rail. Great rail. Great execution from the

:43:23. > :43:30.Jones. We talk about confidence as well, doing little trick is. Coming

:43:31. > :43:36.in switch to the first jump. Beautiful, solid to the feet. Wright

:43:37. > :43:39.grabbed, looking very solid for Jenny Jones. The backside 360

:43:40. > :43:48.grabbed well. Is she going for the front nine 's let's see it. She went

:43:49. > :43:54.for the seven! Solid! That was the second run of semifinals, but it was

:43:55. > :43:59.laid down very cleanly. That was a very good looking one. Go on, Jones,

:44:00. > :44:04.look at the smile on her face. It is key that they have shown this

:44:05. > :44:08.replay. She slid all the way to the end of the rail. Everything was

:44:09. > :44:16.really clean here. She is daring the judges to mark her down. Check out

:44:17. > :44:21.the grab as well. Our girl, Jones. She does let go a bit early in order

:44:22. > :44:35.to crank round that final 360 full up that was very solid. There is

:44:36. > :44:42.that smile on the face! We saw a 360. You compare that to Jamie

:44:43. > :44:51.Anderson who has 540s and 720s. The rails were brilliant. Anything above

:44:52. > :45:01.72.5 will put her in the medals. We talk about judges looking for

:45:02. > :45:15.execution. She is into first place! Whoo! Jenny Jones is in gold

:45:16. > :45:22.medal... She cannot believe it. Jenny Jones, doing it the Great

:45:23. > :45:27.Britain. We have to be realistic. A lot of women are serious threats to

:45:28. > :45:38.the gold medal position. Sina Candrian is one of them. She has a

:45:39. > :45:49.720. Calm down, Tim. I cannot feel my left leg. Is that normal?!

:45:50. > :46:03.If you're looking for comparisons, this is standard at the moment. The

:46:04. > :46:09.judges have rewarded consistently. It sent out a clear message to the

:46:10. > :46:19.other competitors. Go big and go clean. My goodness. She did not

:46:20. > :46:25.realise she did that. I need to chill out, this is mental. Jenny

:46:26. > :46:36.Jones may have occupied the gold medal spot for one run. She let go

:46:37. > :46:41.of the grabber early. That is a hand down on a trick we have not seen

:46:42. > :46:48.before. She did not bring it all the way around. We will see the judges

:46:49. > :46:53.coming under intense scrutiny. 87. That is only good for silver. Jenny

:46:54. > :47:06.Jones still has a gold medal position. There are nine still to

:47:07. > :47:14.go. We are seeing a message from the judges that execution is key. In my

:47:15. > :47:22.book, she landed cleanly. She missed the grabs. We talk about execution.

:47:23. > :47:28.Go big. Experience wins every time. The pressure will increase. There is

:47:29. > :47:39.a screen that the girls can watch. Sarka Pancochova. Dropping onto the

:47:40. > :47:48.box. The boxes are judged as a little bit easier than the rails.

:47:49. > :47:56.They are easier to balance on. She did not opt to hit the features.

:47:57. > :48:02.That was the worst way to go. She caught a heel edge. That is a

:48:03. > :48:07.concussion. I think she is OK. That was a good hit to the head.

:48:08. > :48:14.Everybody is going for it, going for broke. Going for the cab 720, that

:48:15. > :48:18.is a super technical trick. Seeing her going down like that is not a

:48:19. > :48:27.pretty sight, I am glad she looks like she is OK. The helmet is it

:48:28. > :48:34.completely smashed. It is split into. That is why you wear a helmet.

:48:35. > :48:44.It is important, anybody riding on the slopes, get that helmet on. Enni

:48:45. > :48:49.Rukajarvi. We have spoken about the style and technicality of this

:48:50. > :48:55.Finnish rider. They are consistent. They learn on sheet ice in Finland.

:48:56. > :49:05.It is easier to come out and start riding on proper snow. That was very

:49:06. > :49:22.nice. Just a little bit of a wobble on the way in. This is a big run.

:49:23. > :49:29.720. That was spectacular. Backside 542 a switch 720. You would have to

:49:30. > :49:35.say that is first place. This is the switch 720. Taking off backwards,

:49:36. > :49:43.landing backwards. Enni Rukajarvi, looking to better Jenny Jones'

:49:44. > :49:49.score. 92.5. She moves into the gold medal position. Jenny Jones is in

:49:50. > :49:58.silver. Sina Candrian is in the bronze position. Now, it is

:49:59. > :50:04.America's Karly Shorr. Another American, the youngsters, they get

:50:05. > :50:13.the next... The Young ones coming up. When she gets to the next

:50:14. > :50:18.Olympics, this experience will do have the world of good. Aimee

:50:19. > :50:24.Fuller, how good is it to experience the Olympics as an event? It is

:50:25. > :50:31.spectacular just to be here. The opening ceremony was unreal, to be

:50:32. > :50:47.part of such a strong team. I liked that grabber, it was pretty unique.

:50:48. > :50:51.She held onto it that time around. At the moment, snowboarding in Great

:50:52. > :50:57.Britain is in a very new plays. Jenny Jones is sitting in the silver

:50:58. > :51:01.medal position. It would not only be the first Olympic medal for

:51:02. > :51:08.snowboarding, also Britain's first Olympic medal on the snow. Spencer

:51:09. > :51:19.O'Brien from Canada. Just on 30 points. Such a technical rider, we

:51:20. > :51:34.can see anything happen. The box was not quite perpendicular. 180 at the

:51:35. > :51:46.cannon rails. Switch backside 540 will stop very clean. Good control.

:51:47. > :51:54.Oh, she sat down. That is it. Her day is done. The riders at the

:51:55. > :52:00.bottom... Breathe a sigh of relief. Enni Rukajarvi in the gold medal

:52:01. > :52:04.position and Jenny Jones of Great Britain in the silver, awaiting the

:52:05. > :52:09.descent of the last five riders in the first women's Olympic slopestyle

:52:10. > :52:17.contest. I do not know whether I can handle this any longer, the

:52:18. > :52:29.pressure. This athlete had a good qualifying run, but struggled with

:52:30. > :52:39.the first run. Just 24.5. It is game over. Down on the rail. The biggest

:52:40. > :52:45.threats to the medal positions are on their way down. We still have

:52:46. > :52:51.Jamie Anderson, Torah Bright, arguably the woman with the most

:52:52. > :52:57.board control, and also Anna Gasser. Torah Bright has a lot of work to

:52:58. > :53:02.do. She has the experience, this is her third Olympics. She got gold in

:53:03. > :53:13.the halfpipe in Vancouver. She has opted to go with three medals here.

:53:14. > :53:24.The switch grind. That is so technical. It is brilliant. The

:53:25. > :53:32.trademark of her riding. Oh, she sat down. She did exactly the same as

:53:33. > :53:41.she did in the first run. Hearts are racing in the finish area. Nerves

:53:42. > :53:47.are running very high. Great Britain is in line for a silver medal, as it

:53:48. > :53:52.stands, but there are three talented riders yet to drop. Most of all this

:53:53. > :54:02.woman. This is a huge moment in Jamie Anderson's career. You can

:54:03. > :54:12.hear the buzzing of the helicopter camera. It will not distract her.

:54:13. > :54:27.A lot of speed needed that jump and then a straight cab seven knows. --

:54:28. > :54:37.nose. Massive. It comes down to this. A frontside seven. To be

:54:38. > :54:48.fair, that was a belter of a run. Super technical combos. 95.25, an

:54:49. > :54:58.emphatic score to take Jamie Anderson into gold position. Jenny

:54:59. > :55:07.Jones, still in the medals. Two riders yet to drop.

:55:08. > :55:21.Isabel Derungs, from Switzerland. She is the real deal.

:55:22. > :55:36.Oh! That was a terrible fall. Hearts are in mouths, now. I do not think I

:55:37. > :55:43.have felt like this in my entire life. Anna Gasser. The Austrian. The

:55:44. > :55:48.final rider. I reckon we will see her play it safe. If she lands the

:55:49. > :56:02.safe run, she has what it takes to get up on the podium. She is so

:56:03. > :56:07.fluid through the jumps. It was a cab under Philip and she is playing

:56:08. > :56:18.it safe. She is looking for another medal after the downhill success.

:56:19. > :56:22.Oh! Jenny Jones has just taken Britain's first ever Olympic medal

:56:23. > :56:31.on snow. This is the crowning glory to one of Britain's finest snow

:56:32. > :56:35.athlete's careers. We have seemed breathtaking snowboarding from the

:56:36. > :56:45.women. The standout rider was Jamie Anderson. Enni Rukajarvi, the

:56:46. > :56:53.Finland. But look at that, Jenny Jones, Great Britain. Ron 's

:56:54. > :56:59.medallist. -- bronze medallist. Jenny Jones collect is the first

:57:00. > :57:05.snowboarding medal for Britain. I cannot believe this. It is an honour

:57:06. > :57:14.to have witnessed this. Jerry, you are Britain's first

:57:15. > :57:20.Olympic medallist on the snow. It feels amazing, absolutely amazing. I

:57:21. > :57:26.cannot believe it. The guys in the commentary box were crying, we were

:57:27. > :57:31.crying, have you had a cry yet? Not yet. I cannot believe it. I knew I

:57:32. > :57:38.would drop down, but I did not know how far. I am so happy right now.

:57:39. > :57:44.How difficult was it, waiting with the runners coming behind you? It

:57:45. > :57:49.was difficult. I was like, OK, it does not matter, you did your best

:57:50. > :57:55.run. Whatever happens now, it is not up to me, it is out of my control.

:57:56. > :58:00.And the second run, about as good as it could have been? With the course

:58:01. > :58:06.the way it was I did the best run I could have done. What would you say

:58:07. > :58:12.to your mum and dad? I have a feeling they are here somewhere. I

:58:13. > :58:29.am going to go and find them. We have found them for you. LAUGHTER.

:58:30. > :58:44.You did it. You did it. You have never, ever disappointed us. We are

:58:45. > :58:51.not allowed here, really. We will have to be quiet. We do not do that

:58:52. > :59:09.well, do we?! Them or use are going mad at home. -- the boys. The boys

:59:10. > :59:21.are going mad. Are we live, now? We are going! I will come and see you.

:59:22. > :59:28.Are you laughing at my mum and dad? My mum is very northern. It brings

:59:29. > :59:35.home to everybody how much this means. I know, and I had an inkling

:59:36. > :59:40.my parents were here. I just do not like to know they are here. You do

:59:41. > :59:49.not like to compete in front of your mum and dad. Afterwards, it is OK. I

:59:50. > :59:54.know that everyone at home would like to say congratulations, we are

:59:55. > :59:59.proud of you. Can I say thank you to everyone who supported me? It has

:00:00. > :00:10.meant so much to me. Thank you so much everyone back home.

:00:11. > :00:13.There will be plenty more emotion at 4.35, when Jenny Jones gets a bronze

:00:14. > :00:23.medal. Yesterday, there was a bit of Olympic history on that stage as

:00:24. > :00:27.Bjorndalen took his medal. Today it was the turn of the women. Tora

:00:28. > :00:34.Berger, another Norwegian, was the one to look out for.

:00:35. > :00:38.Biathlon originated in the ancient hunting practices of northern Europe

:00:39. > :00:41.. The race is made up of laps and competitors must stop at the

:00:42. > :00:45.shooting went on each circuit to fire at five different targets with

:00:46. > :00:49.five lets from a distance of 50m. There is a standing shooting

:00:50. > :00:52.position, with a target measuring 100 and millimetres, and a prone

:00:53. > :00:56.shooting position which has a smaller target of 45 millimetres.

:00:57. > :01:02.Competitors try to avoid a one-minute penalty or skiing and

:01:03. > :01:06.extra lap for any missed shots. The aim is to complete the course in the

:01:07. > :01:10.fastest possible time. However, the key to winning does not necessarily

:01:11. > :01:17.mean speed. It requires strategy, strength in skiing and composure for

:01:18. > :01:22.shooting. The Norwegian star is the most successful by athlete at the

:01:23. > :01:29.Winter Olympic Games with 11 medals, including six golds.

:01:30. > :01:32.Welcome back to the Laura biathlon centre for day two of a sport which

:01:33. > :01:37.crowned its shining star last night here in this brand-new stunning

:01:38. > :01:43.facility. Ole Einar Bjorndalen turned back the clock in style in

:01:44. > :01:47.the men's ten case print, sweeping aside the two prerace favourites to

:01:48. > :01:53.secure a record equalling 12 Olympic medals. He has laid the foundation

:01:54. > :01:57.for what should be a fascinating competition here. Today it is the

:01:58. > :02:02.women's turn to taste the atmosphere in their 7.5 kilometres sprint

:02:03. > :02:09.event, as Tora Berger prepares to start her campaign for glory in the

:02:10. > :02:12.mountains of Sochi. Six medals at the world championship last year.

:02:13. > :02:17.Two of them were silver and one of those came in the sprint. She is the

:02:18. > :02:23.World Cup leader, and she has been roared out onto the course.

:02:24. > :02:32.She has really laid down the gauntlet. She skied beautifully on

:02:33. > :02:36.this first loop. Will her shooting match, and can she get out onto that

:02:37. > :02:45.second loop of 2.5 with any advantage over her rival? Oh, the

:02:46. > :02:51.first one to miss! Two missed! Disses en route to being a

:02:52. > :02:59.disaster. She skied beautifully, but the shooting has not matched it.

:03:00. > :03:03.That is an absolute disaster. Three penalty loops. That could be the

:03:04. > :03:26.equivalent of just under a minute and a half. What a shame. The

:03:27. > :03:32.defending champion, I hope the crowd will give her good support. Now,

:03:33. > :03:38.Tora Berger. She conceded a bit of ground to her rivals with the first

:03:39. > :03:42.kilometre. She is reading hard, she needs to control that. She has

:03:43. > :03:54.missed with the first one. Can't afford another, surely. Well, what a

:03:55. > :04:24.shame for Berger. Berger, incidentally, down at 12

:04:25. > :04:30.after the first shoot, the World Cup leader, because of that penalty

:04:31. > :04:48.loop. And Domracheva has missed with her first. She is just adjusting her

:04:49. > :04:55.rifle. So, one missed the Berger and one missed the Domracheva. This is

:04:56. > :05:05.the defending champion. So far so good. Wow. No one has ever

:05:06. > :05:22.successfully defended this title. This is good. If the Ukrainian can

:05:23. > :05:33.shoot clean, it will be ten out of ten and she will have a chance to,

:05:34. > :05:37.the world champion. Three seconds to compose yourself could be the

:05:38. > :05:43.difference. Look at the speed. Oh, no! Her first miss. Took her time

:05:44. > :06:00.with that last one, but she is going to have some real work to do here.

:06:01. > :06:07.She has got a minute, if she can shoot clean. Last one. This is huge.

:06:08. > :06:14.Oh yes. A clean shoot from Kuzmina, and they are celebrating because the

:06:15. > :06:24.defending champion is going to exit the range with a huge advantage on

:06:25. > :06:28.the current leader. Berger, driving for the line, the World Cup leader,

:06:29. > :06:33.retiring at the end of this season. She's not going to be first. Can she

:06:34. > :06:47.get herself into second place? Yes, she can. A brave effort from Berger.

:06:48. > :06:54.Many people fancy that this one has a chance. Very strong cross-country

:06:55. > :07:03.skier look at the concentration in the eye.

:07:04. > :07:19.So much noise in the arena, it must be hard to concentrate. Oh,

:07:20. > :07:24.Domracheva has just come across the line two seconds behind. She is in

:07:25. > :07:31.second place at the finish, Berger insert. But the defending champion

:07:32. > :07:39.headed out of the shooting range 32 seconds clear of her rival. Now,

:07:40. > :07:51.Kuzmina. The cameras are focusing on her to see whether she has extended

:07:52. > :08:03.that advantage. Kuzmina is smashing it at the moment.

:08:04. > :08:11.Pidrushna, coming in to the finish. The number three world champion is

:08:12. > :08:16.not going to get on the podium this time. Wishing all the way to the

:08:17. > :08:22.line. Every second counts here, because it will be a deciding factor

:08:23. > :08:27.when we get to the pursuit. She is in eighth place at the moment, but

:08:28. > :08:33.we are still waiting for the defending champion, Kuzmina, to get

:08:34. > :08:45.to the line. Here she comes. She is way clear of the one who will be

:08:46. > :08:49.occupying second place, not first. That is a staggering performance

:08:50. > :08:55.from the Russian who now represents Slovakia. No woman has ever defended

:08:56. > :09:08.this title, and she has just had herself in pole position to do just

:09:09. > :09:24.that. Valj Semerenko, really good. She has put herself in position to

:09:25. > :09:30.finish second. The Russians may well have a medallist. Kuzmina was born

:09:31. > :09:45.in Russia and now represent Slovakia.

:09:46. > :09:56.So, Valj Semerenko. Can she get herself around this last corner and

:09:57. > :09:57.into a medal winning position? Anastasiya Kuzmina leading. She is

:09:58. > :10:35.not going to beat that time. She is going to do it. Semerenko

:10:36. > :10:40.pushes Oba Hove down into fourth, and now she realises she has a great

:10:41. > :10:47.chance of joining Anastasiya Kuzmina on the podium. She has barring

:10:48. > :10:52.something happening out on the course. I am just checking the times

:10:53. > :10:56.of athletes leaving the shooting range for the second time, and there

:10:57. > :11:03.is nobody out there at the moment anywhere close. Anastasiya Kuzmina

:11:04. > :11:04.has created history here by becoming the first woman to successfully

:11:05. > :11:44.defend this sprint title. The icy weather has called -- caused

:11:45. > :11:48.schools to close, but many of you have taken advantage of it to take

:11:49. > :11:54.part in our new national obsession, curling.

:11:55. > :12:03.And the curling gets underway tomorrow. The men are on ice at 5am.

:12:04. > :12:13.So, great hopes for both the men and women. Eve Muirhead is the skipper

:12:14. > :12:14.for the woman. Gabby Logan went to see how preparations were going

:12:15. > :12:23.ahead of the games. It is rare to find British athletes

:12:24. > :12:26.who will travel to a Winter Olympics not just as contenders, but as

:12:27. > :12:32.favourites for gold. Eve Muirhead and her team won the curling world

:12:33. > :12:35.title in March, and for them, it was not is a price. They are dedicated

:12:36. > :12:44.to being the best, and they are getting ready for what Sochi has in

:12:45. > :12:45.store. It is about tried to replicate a competition environment

:12:46. > :12:50.so that you can practice decision-making. Exactly. There are

:12:51. > :12:57.always little things that we like to change. Nothing too technical,

:12:58. > :13:03.though. You are going in as world champions as well. That must have

:13:04. > :13:07.another effect on the expectations. The other teams must be looking to

:13:08. > :13:11.you as the ones to shoot down. There is a big target on our back going in

:13:12. > :13:15.as world champions, but if anyone asked us if we would like to go in

:13:16. > :13:19.as world champions or bottom of the table, you know what you are going

:13:20. > :13:23.to pick. We are looking forward to it. We know how to deal with the

:13:24. > :13:28.pressure . We now have to win major tournaments.

:13:29. > :13:33.It is fascinating to see even's composure and authority on the ice.

:13:34. > :13:39.She's still only 23, but commands the total respect of her team-mates.

:13:40. > :13:44.She is a great leader. She has a very experienced head for such a

:13:45. > :13:48.young person. She plays an aggressive game and she has no

:13:49. > :13:55.fear, which is great. We have every confidence in her because of that.

:13:56. > :13:59.In general, she is a good all-rounder. She is good at making

:14:00. > :14:05.the pressure shots. We were rivals for a long time. But the saying is,

:14:06. > :14:11.if you can't beat them, join them, so I joined Eve three years ago.

:14:12. > :14:15.Since then, it has gone great. What are you expecting in Sochi? You have

:14:16. > :14:19.not had the Olympic experience. The main thing is to treat it just like

:14:20. > :14:21.any other competition, like we are going out to play a normal

:14:22. > :14:26.championship like we do all the time. But at the same time, it feels

:14:27. > :14:33.like the opportunity of a lifetime, so we want to make the most of it.

:14:34. > :14:37.Eve and the rest of the team spent hours training here, and the hard

:14:38. > :14:43.work has paid off. Their success has proved that. Over the last few

:14:44. > :14:46.years, curling has moved on. If you can imagine the stamina you need,

:14:47. > :14:51.you can be on the ice for up to three hours and you can play two or

:14:52. > :14:54.three games a day in a lot of tournaments. You need to be

:14:55. > :14:59.physically fit for that. As well as the strength training we do and the

:15:00. > :15:07.conditioning, stability is key. You want to be consistent with every

:15:08. > :15:12.release and every shot. Your Olympic experience from Vancouver did not go

:15:13. > :15:19.the way you planned or wanted. When I look back, you think, chilly I did

:15:20. > :15:23.not train or practice hard enough or do enough gym work, so those are

:15:24. > :15:26.things we have stepped up with the new team. It is good for me to know

:15:27. > :15:32.I have three girls behind me who are willing to put in as much work as

:15:33. > :15:35.each other. These girls are 100% committed. They train as hard as

:15:36. > :15:47.each other and we all have a clear goal at the end of the day.

:15:48. > :15:54.And your name is? John Humphrys. And your specialist subject? Curling.

:15:55. > :16:01.How many ends of curling will be played in the Sochi Winter Olympics?

:16:02. > :16:05.Pass. Hopefully, you are enjoying your

:16:06. > :16:07.coverage on BBC Two, but there are lots of ways to keep across the

:16:08. > :16:53.Winter Olympics on the BBC. Earlier in the Iceberg Skating

:16:54. > :16:57.Palace, we saw Plushenko win the men's free programme in the team

:16:58. > :17:01.competition, putting Russia in a dominant edition. Now, live on the

:17:02. > :17:07.red button, it is the ladies' free programme, so turn over there if you

:17:08. > :17:17.want to catch up. It has been quite a day in Sochi. Here is a reminder

:17:18. > :17:20.of the headlines so far. Austrian Matthias Mayer was the

:17:21. > :17:25.surprise winner of the men's downhill, with the prerace favourite

:17:26. > :17:30.failing to earn a medal. Dutchwoman Ireen Wust won the speed

:17:31. > :17:35.skating to claim a third Olympic gold of her career.

:17:36. > :17:42.The USA's Jamie Anderson turned on the style to win gold in the women's

:17:43. > :17:46.snowboard slopestyle. But more importantly, Jenny Jones

:17:47. > :17:52.won and historic bronze in that final to claim Britain's first ever

:17:53. > :17:59.medal on the snow. Well, it certainly has been quite a

:18:00. > :18:06.day. At 4.35, Jenny Jones will be getting her bronze medal. The

:18:07. > :18:11.Austrians were bombing in Vancouver with no medals. And the Russians

:18:12. > :18:18.over there will be hoping for their first gold medal of the games. From

:18:19. > :18:47.me, it is goodbye. It is Clare next. See you next time.

:18:48. > :18:54.It was only for a second or two but I know -

:18:55. > :19:06.You're dragging up the past and into our house. She's my family.

:19:07. > :19:09.MUSIC: "Flight Of The Bumblebee" by Rimsky-Korsakov