Day 5, Part 4

:00:44. > :00:52.# Just the two of us, we can make it if we try.

:00:53. > :00:57.# Just the two of us, just the two of us.

:00:58. > :01:22.# Just the two of us, building castles in the sky. You and I.

:01:23. > :01:28.CLAIRE BALDING: Good afternoon and welcome back to the Olympic Park.

:01:29. > :01:32.Thousands streaming in for another packed evening of action here in

:01:33. > :01:37.Sochi and as Valentine's Day approaches, we are getting up

:01:38. > :01:40.close, personal and cosy with the double luge. Technically, this could

:01:41. > :01:44.be a mixed pairing, it could be to women but over the years it has

:01:45. > :01:48.always been to men because that is the fastest way to get down and I am

:01:49. > :01:52.hoping that president but amid Putin will go to the sidings and to watch

:01:53. > :01:55.this one in person. It has an amazing history because the luge

:01:56. > :01:58.itself was invented by the Vikings, the word comes from the French word

:01:59. > :02:04.for toboggan, the British ones were the first to race it, the Swiss

:02:05. > :02:07.stage the first official meeting and it was won by an Australian but I

:02:08. > :02:10.will be frank with you, I think they had all had a few drinks when they

:02:11. > :02:13.came up with the doubles! It is part of the live action we have got

:02:14. > :02:21.coming up for you between now and seven o'clock.

:02:22. > :02:37.It is double jeopardy at the sliding Centre. A Swiss roll Ford Great

:02:38. > :02:43.Britain's curlers. And to'ss two's company in the figure skating. So

:02:44. > :02:47.that means that next we are live with the doubles luge final and at

:02:48. > :02:50.4:50pm, we are taking Great Britain's men versus Switzerland in

:02:51. > :02:53.their latest qualifying match and then we will be live for the

:02:54. > :02:59.conclusion of the figure skating pairs competition and don't forget

:03:00. > :03:04.it is today at the Games at seven o'clock taking us all the way to

:03:05. > :03:08.eight o'clock. That is the scene at the ice cube at the moment, Great

:03:09. > :03:13.Britain are playing Switzerland and it is live for you on the red button

:03:14. > :03:17.and Great Britain currently leading 2-0 and they are just coming up to

:03:18. > :03:20.half-time. They will have a break and then go to the 10th end if

:03:21. > :03:24.needed. Also on the red button, live figure skating live at the Iceberg

:03:25. > :03:27.Skating Palace when it gets to those players who are in contention for

:03:28. > :03:33.the medals so you will not miss anything but if you want to skating

:03:34. > :03:38.all the way through, you can. -- want to watch skating full top will

:03:39. > :03:42.take you to the doubles luge, a competition won in the last two

:03:43. > :03:47.Olympics by two brothers from Austria, they are called the Linger

:03:48. > :03:52.brothers but they are under severe pressure, that is the word, from two

:03:53. > :03:57.pairs from Germany who look strong. Two runs and we will show you the

:03:58. > :04:03.highlights of the first run first. Data macro the Olympic champions,

:04:04. > :04:11.Andreas and Wolfgang Linger. They have gone into the lead already and

:04:12. > :04:12.this will put down a really big run. A big home for Germany, Wendl and

:04:13. > :04:23.Arlt. -- a big hope. Anyone can beat Wendl and Arlt, it

:04:24. > :04:43.is these two. -- if anyone. That has put the cat amongst the

:04:44. > :04:53.pigeons. So after the first round, the

:04:54. > :05:01.favourites lead, Wendl and Arlt, as Germany look for a clean sweep of

:05:02. > :05:04.luge gold medals. You are seeing the location of the Sun ski Sliding

:05:05. > :05:28.Center Sanki is where we are heading to catch up with the commentators.

:05:29. > :05:35.Jayson Terdiman and Jayson Terdiman have just gone down. And here it is

:05:36. > :05:38.in slow motion again, excellent. Eleanor Gass they have robbed of

:05:39. > :05:44.Michael the right-hand wall there were two but then foot down on the

:05:45. > :05:51.ice and a chance of pushing forward into the medals was gone there. A

:05:52. > :05:53.classic luge size difference. A massive man in front, he is about

:05:54. > :06:15.six foot four, Christian Niccum. Sascha Benecken and Toni Eggert now

:06:16. > :06:24.with a chance but it is a slim one. 0.901 behind the leaders.

:06:25. > :06:32.Not until the man in front is ready do they decide to go.

:06:33. > :06:39.They were disappointing in the first run, probably the number two

:06:40. > :06:46.favourites for this competition. The faster start of anyone in the

:06:47. > :06:52.opening but they flooded in the end. Nearly a track record start by the

:06:53. > :06:59.number two German crew. We are going in reverse order of the overall

:07:00. > :07:01.placings. So Wendl and Arlt are coming out last. This crew are down

:07:02. > :07:13.in 10th position. They might go into the lead here by

:07:14. > :07:19.a big margin but it is doubtful they can challenge the leaders. They

:07:20. > :07:29.managed to avoid the upright there as they came off. They are going

:07:30. > :07:37.well, one more turn. Coming through in 49.944. That is much better. If

:07:38. > :07:40.they had done that in the first round, they would be in sixth

:07:41. > :07:44.position but instead they are down in 10th and they are now trying to

:07:45. > :07:49.play catch up because it is the aggregate of two runs. They feel

:07:50. > :07:57.pumped and happy but they are unlikely to get near the medals.

:07:58. > :08:09.In the first run, you can see the good start. You have to get a

:08:10. > :08:15.powerful start in luge. After the first one, Wendl and Arlt are up in

:08:16. > :08:22.the lead. The number one world champions, a third of a second ahead

:08:23. > :08:26.of the Linger brothers. We are going in reverse order in this doubles

:08:27. > :08:30.luge competition. Here is the big Russian crew. About to come

:08:31. > :08:37.through. They were disappointing in the first run. But with each and

:08:38. > :08:43.every crew, they have a slight time advantage over the previous crews.

:08:44. > :08:50.They have got three tenths of a second here on the Germans.

:08:51. > :09:01.Yuzhakov at the front and Makhnutin at the back. You cannot see the

:09:02. > :09:09.athlete at the back. And away we go. Almost taking off on the first one.

:09:10. > :09:12.They are in the lead, ahead by 0.119 seconds. This event can be won by

:09:13. > :09:48.zero point -- by 1000th of a second. They have gone behind by six

:09:49. > :09:55.thousandths of a second. I think they touch the upright there. They

:09:56. > :10:04.are in third place, a second-place, rather. Toni Eggert and Sascha

:10:05. > :10:09.Benecken are still in the lead. The bigger of the two men know they may

:10:10. > :10:13.still be in the lead but we know that they have eight crews all to

:10:14. > :10:16.come all of whom have a time advantage over them getting bigger

:10:17. > :10:21.and bigger with each group coming down. Let's look at this. The

:10:22. > :10:29.trickiest corn on the track, back up the hill on the luge, and he is

:10:30. > :10:32.pulling on the uprights, it bends the steel underneath the sled and it

:10:33. > :10:39.helps you cut the ice and steer away from walls. Ideally, you do all your

:10:40. > :10:44.steering on a corner, you try not to steer on a straight because you do

:10:45. > :10:49.not have the G-force sending you down. You can get into a slide as

:10:50. > :10:56.well, it is a dangerous place to steer, on the straight. The Italian

:10:57. > :11:05.pair next. Can they go into the lead? Only four hundredths of a

:11:06. > :11:12.second between the Russian pair who are behind them. The Russians did

:11:13. > :11:23.well and they will not do well enough to finish in first place.

:11:24. > :11:30.They are in the lead . A quick start by Rastner and M3 macro. -- Rieder.

:11:31. > :11:37.You have to remember that Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken where the

:11:38. > :11:44.number one favourites for this. They have a shocking first-run but had a

:11:45. > :11:50.great second run. They are keeping Menez ahead, the Italians. They must

:11:51. > :11:54.avoid the touch out they had in the first run. Will of the top speeds we

:11:55. > :12:01.have seen in that position on the track.

:12:02. > :12:16.It is a fine run and there is circular -- circular -- Armin

:12:17. > :12:33.Zoggeler. We still have seven crew crews to

:12:34. > :12:41.go. Wendl and Arlt have been laying down the law after the first run.

:12:42. > :12:51.An absolutely magnificent performance by the leaders who go

:12:52. > :12:56.last on this track. Their effort is over and they can just go home after

:12:57. > :13:02.this competition is over. They will wait to see what happens. Christian

:13:03. > :13:09.Oberstoltz and Patrick Gruber go next. They get a one-minute clock to

:13:10. > :13:14.start at the top, they don't have to go through the first time in being

:13:15. > :13:16.until they want to. You can see the orange marking and that is where the

:13:17. > :13:24.beginning is for them. They took back the European title

:13:25. > :13:27.this year, they are 35 and 36 and lots of people thought they were

:13:28. > :13:36.passed it, but they are now battling with their Italian compatriots. It

:13:37. > :13:41.would be interesting to see if they can stay in the lead by the next

:13:42. > :13:43.checkmark. They are going well. Staying streamlined and just in the

:13:44. > :14:14.lead. Look at that, it is faster, by 0.02

:14:15. > :14:21.seconds. That is magnificent. That was really tight on the line. That

:14:22. > :14:28.is around three centimetres, the margin. Italy are one and two at the

:14:29. > :14:34.moment with Germany down in third. We still have six crews to go. A

:14:35. > :14:41.lovely steer on the exit of turn 11, he bent the steel and that kept

:14:42. > :14:49.him over to the right-hand wall, exactly where you want to enter, 14.

:14:50. > :14:55.Veterans of the luge circuit. You can guess who this is, this is the

:14:56. > :15:02.face of the Russians. All the crews went done in under 30

:15:03. > :15:21.seconds in the first run. They nearly took off there. That is

:15:22. > :15:26.an absolutely massive start but they are only in fifth place at the

:15:27. > :15:33.moment. They have still got the lead as they come down. A tiny margin

:15:34. > :15:57.over the Italians. Just in the lead, my goodness. This

:15:58. > :16:17.is so close. It is enough, and that could not

:16:18. > :16:22.have been any closer. The timing system went white for a moment, one

:16:23. > :16:26.of the split they don't show you and in other words, they went behind for

:16:27. > :16:30.around 200 metres of ice. But then they managed to pull it back to the

:16:31. > :16:38.last two corners so well done to the Russians. Five crew s to come and

:16:39. > :16:43.they will have to just sit back and wait and hope that the pressure gets

:16:44. > :16:45.too much for the other people. Goodness knows how the next pair

:16:46. > :17:06.feel. It is the Sics brothers who go next.

:17:07. > :17:20.That was a good time they set on the first run. How do they feel about

:17:21. > :17:24.this one? Olympic silver medallists from Vancouver, they have done

:17:25. > :17:38.barely anything since then, and here they are again. The further back you

:17:39. > :17:48.can lean, the less your head is up in the air, the faster you will go.

:17:49. > :17:56.They are going well. They have out started the Russians. Still a little

:17:57. > :18:09.in the lead. They are going like a narrow, down

:18:10. > :18:14.through 13. They are extending the lead, and I think the Sics are going

:18:15. > :18:37.to go into first here. 1.39 .79. That could be good enough for a

:18:38. > :18:45.medal. 141 kilometres an hour. Over 87 mph there for the Sics brothers.

:18:46. > :18:57.These two are magicians on the track. Keeping cool at 87 mph.

:18:58. > :19:02.The Olympic champions, the double Olympic champions will be coming

:19:03. > :19:18.down second last. They await their turn. They are the Linger brothers,

:19:19. > :19:26.of course. And if these two can finish ahead of the Sics brothers,

:19:27. > :19:30.they have a shout of a medal. Walker not quite ready. He is the man with

:19:31. > :19:39.the beard in front. They have out started the Sics

:19:40. > :19:58.brothers. One tiny mistake, and they are in

:19:59. > :20:02.trouble. Looking good. And riding superbly. Are they going to go into

:20:03. > :20:16.the lead here? They are arrow straight, still, but

:20:17. > :20:21.they have gone behind. It must be the steering in the corners. The

:20:22. > :20:34.Sics brothers are sitting pretty at the moment. These guys are closer to

:20:35. > :20:49.getting a medal. Yes, they have to beat one more crew now. Three crews

:20:50. > :20:53.wrote ago. -- to go. It seems unlikely that they will get a

:20:54. > :21:00.medal, the Canadians. The positions have altered a fraction. They have

:21:01. > :21:05.come dangerously close to medals in the world championships last year.

:21:06. > :21:07.They finished fourth. They have real belief in themselves, these

:21:08. > :21:14.Canadians, but I don't think they are going to do it today. The Sics

:21:15. > :21:25.brothers are in the running, here they are again in the lead up -- the

:21:26. > :21:28.leaders box. And here are the faces of the two men who have got to

:21:29. > :21:35.produce the ride of their life in order to get in amongst the medals.

:21:36. > :21:40.If they go into the lead this time, they are guaranteed at least a

:21:41. > :21:54.bronze medal. Who knows, it could be even better. But they have got to go

:21:55. > :21:59.into the lead. If they nailed their start like they can do, they could

:22:00. > :22:11.do it. That was a little sloppy there, but they corrected it in

:22:12. > :22:17.time. That has set them on the course to having the 11th fastest

:22:18. > :22:29.start of all time. The whole of Latvia is holding its breath right

:22:30. > :22:34.now. Oh, dear, feet down on the ice. The man underneath put his arm out.

:22:35. > :22:41.He has totally lost his cool now. They are trying to stabilise. They

:22:42. > :22:47.are safe and sound. That is the main thing. He is just putting his hands

:22:48. > :22:53.on his head now. He knows he completely blew it there. That is a

:22:54. > :23:00.horrible, horrible moment. Just pleased they are down safely.

:23:01. > :23:07.The Sics brothers are guaranteed a medal for the first time. But no

:23:08. > :23:09.celebrating, they are gentlemen. They realised that could have been

:23:10. > :23:24.ugly there. 54 seconds, poor Peter pens in

:23:25. > :23:33.front. He was the man driving. We still have two pairs to go. This

:23:34. > :23:39.is where it all happened. First of all he tried to put his feet down,

:23:40. > :23:47.and the exit from that corner was terrible. He didn't have any ability

:23:48. > :23:53.to steer. He nearly crashed out of line, and hasn't got his cool back

:23:54. > :23:59.at all. He is just thinking about the dream that is exploding. Georg

:24:00. > :24:04.Fischler must've been wondering what was going on. He couldn't see

:24:05. > :24:15.anything. So, here we go. Andreas linger,

:24:16. > :24:23.Wolfgang linger. The Linger brothers from Austria.

:24:24. > :24:33.This is the other Linger pairing. They are not interested in the gold

:24:34. > :24:43.medal. The silver would do. It is a big moment for them. Gold in 2006,

:24:44. > :24:50.gold in 2010. They are in the silver medal position, and they have got to

:24:51. > :24:53.go ahead of the Sics brothers. They are unlikely to lose this lead

:24:54. > :24:57.unless they have a difficult moment. A good changeover there. Yes,

:24:58. > :25:22.unlikely to lose the lead, surely. They have lost a bit of the lead,

:25:23. > :25:40.but not too much. It is all about laying down a huge run here. 1:36.7,

:25:41. > :25:49.it is the lead, and the Sics brothers are in second place. They

:25:50. > :25:55.have made history already. They are now guaranteed to be two gold medals

:25:56. > :26:02.from before and at least a silver now. They are just two minutes away

:26:03. > :26:10.from knowing whether they have won the third goal. Absolutely superb.

:26:11. > :26:19.That is the fastest of the second runs so far. These are the ice men

:26:20. > :26:23.right here. How cool are they? Everyone had written off, and nailed

:26:24. > :26:32.it. The Linger brothers, brilliant stuff. They missed a couple of World

:26:33. > :26:38.Cups with injuries and family problems, wives and kids and things

:26:39. > :26:44.going on. But well done to them. Guaranteed silver, one crew to go.

:26:45. > :26:50.There is great sportsmanship in that winners enclosure. But here it is.

:26:51. > :27:05.The final run, the final pairing. The whole destiny of the luge

:27:06. > :27:15.pairings is here. It is all down to Wendl and Arlt. The Tobys, as they

:27:16. > :27:33.are affectionately known. They are over a third of a second

:27:34. > :27:35.ahead. That is a brilliant start. Can they keep it going? Can they

:27:36. > :27:48.keep it together? That is one of the trickiest parts

:27:49. > :27:55.of the track. It looks like Germany are going to do it again. They have

:27:56. > :27:58.won everything so far. This could be the German gold medal run

:27:59. > :28:06.continuing. It is absolutely wonderful. They could crash and win

:28:07. > :28:09.this now. They have a massive margin. The Germans dominating

:28:10. > :28:30.again. That is absolutely superb. That is a

:28:31. > :28:39.winners' run. Wendl and Arlt have won it by half a second. That was

:28:40. > :28:55.absolutely brilliant. And with Garrison -- Guisenberger winning the

:28:56. > :29:14.winnings by over a second. Just having a look at the previous

:29:15. > :29:22.runs. 49.56. They are laying down a marker to the rest of the world.

:29:23. > :29:30.Wendl and Arlt tapped the start, as well. They went for it at the start,

:29:31. > :29:40.didn't play conservative. Head was up there, in the air flow. That is a

:29:41. > :29:42.really tricky part of the track will stop they probably lost a kilometre

:29:43. > :29:52.an hour or two. The German nation have been superb

:29:53. > :30:01.in this sport. There is the role of honour. The ad Wendl and Arlt get

:30:02. > :30:04.the gold medal, the Lingers the silver, and that Sics brothers the

:30:05. > :30:21.bronze. Walker and Justin Smith, a

:30:22. > :30:30.disappointment for them, just off the podium, as they were in the

:30:31. > :30:38.European Championships. But it is all about who is the best

:30:39. > :30:47.on the day, and today it was Wendl and Arlt.

:30:48. > :30:57.Look at that. A brilliant podium. Just exactly what you would have

:30:58. > :31:03.expected from training, the Linger brothers suddenly pulled it out on

:31:04. > :31:09.the day. Wendl and Arlt have been friends since primary school. And

:31:10. > :31:19.the Linger brothers on the left, it is a very brotherly sport.

:31:20. > :31:26.It was absolutely superb in the end. Germany, first of all, came along

:31:27. > :31:30.and won the men's singles and then the women's singles and now they

:31:31. > :31:44.have won the doubles. Wendl and Arlt are the champions once more.

:31:45. > :31:59.Tobias Brothers. A reminder earlier of the incredible danger of this

:32:00. > :32:09.board though and flowers were placed at the Sanki Sliding Center M

:32:10. > :32:13.memory, four years ago for the Georgian athlete who was killed in

:32:14. > :32:16.the training for the luge but Germany dominant across the

:32:17. > :32:21.categories and my word, they will be strong in the relay competition

:32:22. > :32:26.which is coming in tomorrow. Let's take another look at the athletes

:32:27. > :32:33.who have struck a colour of gold. Alpine skiing history was made in

:32:34. > :32:38.the million's history as two athletes shared the gold medal, will

:32:39. > :32:43.the early races clocked 1.45 .56 seconds and then the exact same time

:32:44. > :32:48.was clocked and it is the first time that an Alpine Gold has ever been

:32:49. > :32:52.shared Chemmy Alcott was delighted with her 19th place. Shani Davis was

:32:53. > :32:56.going for a repeat in the speed skating but like compatriot Shaun

:32:57. > :32:59.White in the snowboarding last night, it did not happen, the

:33:00. > :33:04.Netherlands took victory with Stephane Britt is winning, Shani

:33:05. > :33:08.Davis was eighth. Kelly Clark leads the way with a score of 95 ahead of

:33:09. > :33:13.tonight's halfpipe final, Torah Bright from Australia has also

:33:14. > :33:17.qualified as the defending champion and we will show that later in

:33:18. > :33:21.tonight's highlights. In curling, it came down to an all or nothing final

:33:22. > :33:25.stone for the GB skip Eve Muirhead but sadly it did not work out which

:33:26. > :33:30.means that Canada took a 9-6 victory to keep up their 100% record and

:33:31. > :33:37.Britain have now lost two of their opening three fixtures. It is not

:33:38. > :33:44.the best of startsstarts for the women. A tight match between the

:33:45. > :33:48.British men and Switzerland. And we will be joining that match on BBC

:33:49. > :33:53.Two very soon and it is live for you on the red button. Today, day five

:33:54. > :33:57.of the Winter Olympics and so far touch wood everything is going

:33:58. > :34:01.smoothly but as you well know, the build-up was dominated by talk of

:34:02. > :34:07.corruption, security issues and by talk of gay rights and the attitude

:34:08. > :34:10.of Russians to those in what President Putin calls nontraditional

:34:11. > :34:15.relationships. He said everybody would be welcome but he also said

:34:16. > :34:17.that there is a ban in this country on homosexual propaganda and

:34:18. > :34:20.paedophilia and he put them in the same sentence as if they are both

:34:21. > :34:26.linked somehow. So what do gay athletes think and those who are

:34:27. > :34:31.spectating make of it all? David Bond has this.

:34:32. > :34:39.This stunning setting is meant to stage what Russia hopes will be the

:34:40. > :34:43.greatest Winter Olympics in history. But a new law has sparked outrage in

:34:44. > :34:46.the gay community here and led to claims around the world that

:34:47. > :34:54.Vladimir Putin is stoking homophobia. The Russian president

:34:55. > :34:59.says there is no problem, he simply asks that people respect the

:35:00. > :35:03.traditions of the host nation. The legislation passed in June does not

:35:04. > :35:07.ban gay relations as such but it does prohibit the spread of

:35:08. > :35:12.homosexual propaganda to children. Here in Sochi, the mayor seems to

:35:13. > :35:16.advocate this. TRANSLATION: Our hospitality will be extended to

:35:17. > :35:19.everybody who respect the laws of the Russian Federation and who

:35:20. > :35:24.doesn't impose their habits and they will on others. So yes, everybody is

:35:25. > :35:27.welcome. But when asked specifically about

:35:28. > :35:32.the gay community, he seems to change his tune. TRANSLATION: We

:35:33. > :35:37.just say that it is your business, your life but it is not accepted

:35:38. > :35:44.here in the Caucasus where we live. We do not have them in our town. So

:35:45. > :35:49.why does Sochi have a well established gay club? The cafe is

:35:50. > :35:54.not exactly on show but according to the owner, things are not as bad

:35:55. > :36:05.here as they might seem. TRANSLATION:

:36:06. > :36:10.It is a view which would appear to echo that the mere Putin's more

:36:11. > :36:15.diplomatic stance in the run-up to games.

:36:16. > :36:22.We do not ban anyone or anything, we do not detain people on the street,

:36:23. > :36:27.that is why you can feel free, relaxed but leave children in peace,

:36:28. > :36:32.please. And yet, this was Moscow on the night of Sochi's glittering

:36:33. > :36:37.opening ceremony. It seems like this have prompted scenes like these. I

:36:38. > :36:45.would like to welcome you here tonight to this global speak out

:36:46. > :36:48.against Russian homophobia. This demonstration in London was one of

:36:49. > :36:54.19 held in cities all across Europe and the Middle East and America. We

:36:55. > :37:00.are here to tell Vladimir Putin that you cannot hide this behind the

:37:01. > :37:03.sports page. We are calling on all the Government and the Russian

:37:04. > :37:06.government passed the International Olympic committee to uphold

:37:07. > :37:11.principle six of the Olympic Charter which prohibits discrimination. I

:37:12. > :37:15.find it very disturbing that in Russia in a so-called civilised

:37:16. > :37:19.country, gay men and women are being beaten to death in the street and it

:37:20. > :37:23.is perfectly acceptable. With so much focus on the issue, is it any

:37:24. > :37:27.wonder that gay athletes have been worried about the sort of reception

:37:28. > :37:31.they might receive here. Johnny Wear is a former Olympian who was

:37:32. > :37:37.celebrated in Russia and now he is less sure what to expect. I am a

:37:38. > :37:45.very flamboyant gay man as you can tell. I am an athlete, I husband, a

:37:46. > :37:50.father to a beautiful puppy. Russia is a place that I have been obsessed

:37:51. > :38:04.with those I was very young and to say a Russo Russian -- mother of

:38:05. > :38:07.Russian history, it would be an understatement a think about going

:38:08. > :38:13.back there because I would be afraid. He retired last year, and

:38:14. > :38:19.the Australian snowboarder Belle is the highest profile openly gay star

:38:20. > :38:24.competing in Sochi. I want to go the because I am not afraid of these

:38:25. > :38:30.laws and I want people who live in Russia who are wanting to compete to

:38:31. > :38:35.see that. I do not want any official to end up not competing. I am

:38:36. > :38:39.putting my Olympic dream first. Nickname estate, these are for the

:38:40. > :38:43.mere Putin's aims to showcase a modern, powerful Russia but the

:38:44. > :38:48.question of gay rights has become an unwanted distraction. What is so

:38:49. > :38:55.terrifying about me and my people, that you want to deny us the ability

:38:56. > :39:00.to live freely? But if attitudes are to change, there is one thing that

:39:01. > :39:04.might help. A gold medal would be the best outcome for me. If I don't

:39:05. > :39:09.get a gold medal, most people will not care about my opinion. It is all

:39:10. > :39:19.good. And Bell goes in the snowboard cross

:39:20. > :39:27.on Sunday. We have had two openly gay medallists, in speed skating,

:39:28. > :39:40.Ireen Wust and ski jumping for Daniela Rushcliffe faults -- Daniela

:39:41. > :39:49.erotica Stoltz -- Daniela Iraschko-Stolz. What is your view

:39:50. > :39:52.here been wads sexuality here? -- towards sexuality? We were told

:39:53. > :39:57.there would be also some controversy in the build-up and I don't think we

:39:58. > :40:07.have seen anything from any athlete, any protests from anyone, there is a

:40:08. > :40:11.protest but down the coast -- a protest park. We have not had anyone

:40:12. > :40:16.making any political statement of any sort. It may change in the

:40:17. > :40:21.coming days when athletes start to finish their events and they feel

:40:22. > :40:25.they are freer to speak but so far, it has not materialised. It is rare

:40:26. > :40:34.at an Olympics for anyone to make a political protest and it is in fact

:40:35. > :40:40.banned on the podium by the IOC, the 68 Olympics was a sign from Tommy

:40:41. > :40:47.Smith and Carlos Lee Mack and John Carlos and I think Tommy Smith said

:40:48. > :40:56.in his biography that it was not a black power salute, it was a

:40:57. > :41:00.democratic thing. Most athletes come here wanting to just concentrate on

:41:01. > :41:06.their performance and if you look at the comments that Daniela who won

:41:07. > :41:09.silver in the women's ski jump yesterday, she said there is no

:41:10. > :41:12.point looking protests here because nobody in Russia is actually

:41:13. > :41:17.listening. Nobody cares. That might be the case but in one sense, there

:41:18. > :41:27.is a bitter pragmatism around it, athletes want to come here and just

:41:28. > :41:30.do well. Daniel said that she was greeted by Vladimir Putin and she

:41:31. > :41:39.just cuddled him. She made a big thing of the limo driver. It was

:41:40. > :41:43.very interesting, what Thomas Bach said in his speech at the opening

:41:44. > :41:47.ceremony. He is the new president of the IOC. He seemed to deliberately

:41:48. > :41:53.use words that he knew would connect with the rest of the world, the more

:41:54. > :41:57.liberal world, one might say that he used words like "tolerant" and said

:41:58. > :42:01.people need to live in harmony and that he would not abide

:42:02. > :42:05.discrimination. Yes, that is probably the most politically loaded

:42:06. > :42:10.statement we have ever heard from an IOC president in an opening ceremony

:42:11. > :42:15.speech. Clearly still very carefully worded. The IOC have to be

:42:16. > :42:18.diplomatic specially when they come to countries like Russia but it was

:42:19. > :42:20.a clear message to Russia and the rest of the world that dissemination

:42:21. > :42:26.will not be tolerated. The problem for the president of the IOC is that

:42:27. > :42:29.they only have a small window to apply any pressure. While the Games

:42:30. > :42:33.are on, Russia and for the mere Putin will listen to the IOC. The

:42:34. > :42:39.question is what will happen once the Games are over and the circus

:42:40. > :42:42.moves on? Sport will come back here, a Formula one Grand Prix here

:42:43. > :42:46.in October, and the football World Cup is coming to Moscow. Whether any

:42:47. > :42:54.of those other organising bodies were -- will apply anything like the

:42:55. > :43:02.Olympic pressure will get to be seen. It will bring with it the same

:43:03. > :43:06.level of international media attention and I think the key

:43:07. > :43:09.question is what the IOC does in future about trying to deal with

:43:10. > :43:15.this conundrum which it has because on the one hand, it is just a sports

:43:16. > :43:18.body that says we cannot get involved in politics and yet they

:43:19. > :43:22.are a body with social and ethical values as laid down in the Olympic

:43:23. > :43:25.Charter. The problem is the worlds collide and these problems continue

:43:26. > :43:30.coming back when they try to take the Games to places with difficult

:43:31. > :43:34.regimes. That is an interesting point. Generally speaking, people

:43:35. > :43:37.are divided into two camps, either the IOC should not choose countries

:43:38. > :43:41.in which human rights are an issue but as we know from Beijing and from

:43:42. > :43:44.here, that is not the case or whether they depict the countries

:43:45. > :43:55.that bed and they pick the best bed and they've pick delete -- the best

:43:56. > :43:59.bed and they tried to embolden the spirit of sport. David, thank you.

:44:00. > :44:05.It has been an historic Winter Olympic Games because for the first

:44:06. > :44:09.time, women's ski jumping has been included and a huge good market in

:44:10. > :44:10.terms of gender equality. It was quite competition, Matthew went

:44:11. > :44:25.along to watch. Women's sport and the Olympics has

:44:26. > :44:36.had a bit of a difficult past. When the modern games started in 1896,

:44:37. > :44:40.there were no women -- no events for women. There was a thought that

:44:41. > :44:44.physical exertion might have an effect on childbirth. You might

:44:45. > :44:48.think that is so last century and decades ago but let me read you this

:44:49. > :44:54.quote, this is from John Fraga Casbah, the president of skiing and

:44:55. > :44:58.he said, " but forget, it is like jumping down from two metres onto

:44:59. > :45:02.the ground, about 1000 times a year which seems not to be appropriate

:45:03. > :45:11.for ladies from a medical point of view". He said that in 2005. When we

:45:12. > :45:14.first started, we did hear some of those excuses and they were a bit

:45:15. > :45:26.ridiculous. DD this woman made sure that part of

:45:27. > :45:31.the Olympic movement included women's ski jumping. This was a

:45:32. > :45:37.dream come true, for women's rights, women in sport, human

:45:38. > :45:41.rights, all of the above. These women have been like family, we have

:45:42. > :45:45.all been in this together and whoever gets a medal to night, we

:45:46. > :45:51.are still excited because really, we have all won.

:45:52. > :45:57.Good evening, what a very special night we have in prospect here at

:45:58. > :46:00.the state of the art gawky jumping centre. The first Winter Olympics

:46:01. > :46:04.levels in women's ski jumping are just hours away from being awarded

:46:05. > :46:09.and the quality of the competition promises to be a fitting tribute to

:46:10. > :46:16.all those who have worked so hard to ensure its inclusion. And now the

:46:17. > :46:19.Americans will sing their hearts out for Lindsey Van, she has been

:46:20. > :46:50.instrumental in this event, being included tonight. Vancouver would

:46:51. > :46:58.have been Lindsay's chance. It is hard to put it into words right now.

:46:59. > :47:03.I can truly say I was enjoying myself and living in the moment.

:47:04. > :47:20.Jessica Judd Rome has played a huge role in this event being included in

:47:21. > :47:24.the programme. -- Jessica Jerome. It is everything that I have been

:47:25. > :47:29.fighting force of the last decade or so. I am really happy that I was

:47:30. > :47:35.here tonight. The fierce competition defeated true

:47:36. > :47:40.Olympic event. A decade-long battle, finally fully justified.

:47:41. > :47:51.World number one and dead cert for the gold, tacking ashy of Japan, was

:47:52. > :48:09.left just out of the medals -- Takanashi. Carine Vogt. To be a

:48:10. > :48:20.champion would be fantastic. To be the first champion is immortality.

:48:21. > :48:26.And Vogt, unbelievable. She has done it. What a moment. Germany

:48:27. > :48:32.celebrates a piece of history that will never be forgotten. It is

:48:33. > :48:43.incredible, and amazing feeling to be on the first posy am for the

:48:44. > :48:50.first time. I am speechless. Look what just happened. We did

:48:51. > :48:58.everything for that, and that to me is all worth it.

:48:59. > :49:06.Well done. You are a pioneer. Thank you.

:49:07. > :49:16.Just amazing. A wonderful competition, and it makes me want to

:49:17. > :49:23.cry, watching the medals, and Lindsay Van who played such a big

:49:24. > :49:29.part. We will see the conclusion of the pairs skating at 5.25. Russia

:49:30. > :49:34.could easily win that. They have the most fantastic pair, and if you get

:49:35. > :49:44.the chance, go to the BBC's website and watch them, they are absolutely

:49:45. > :49:48.sensational. It has been quiet today in terms of the dish medal

:49:49. > :49:56.contenders, because that is not the case tomorrow, when skeleton gets

:49:57. > :50:25.under way, and we will be following these three.

:50:26. > :50:32.# I can move in the right correction...

:50:33. > :50:39.You saw James Woods in action there, and we are hoping he will be fully

:50:40. > :50:43.fit for his competition tomorrow. Nick Hope has been catching up with

:50:44. > :50:47.him to find out how he is recovering from his injury in training.

:50:48. > :50:54.It was great to see you out there, how did it feel? I am pretty sore. I

:50:55. > :51:00.love skiing and I want to be here so badly. It is a shame I'm not feeling

:51:01. > :51:09.100%, but I'm not in the business of giving up, so... How far off 100%

:51:10. > :51:17.RU? To be honest, I'm all right. It's just a few movements that I go

:51:18. > :51:27.through. The hit is our pretty complicated area. -- the hips. It is

:51:28. > :51:33.just trying to work out where on the course I feel it, and get ready for

:51:34. > :51:38.it. Have you drawn on the experience of others who have been here

:51:39. > :51:44.before? There are many people who have been through the pressure, that

:51:45. > :51:50.builds and builds, you feel sick, you can't believe it is all just one

:51:51. > :51:58.day. But it is good to know that you are not by yourself, and everyone

:51:59. > :52:05.feels the same. Inspired by Jenny's achievements? Absolutely. We're

:52:06. > :52:09.coming into this Games so hot. Everyone has so much talent. It is

:52:10. > :52:16.wicked to see all the support and however one is dealing with it. Can

:52:17. > :52:20.you still win a medal? If you had asked me an hour ago, I would have

:52:21. > :52:27.had a different story, but I feel a lot better now after those last

:52:28. > :52:33.couple of runs. Or I am going to do is go out there and do exactly what

:52:34. > :52:40.I always do, which is ski the best I can. It might be just the same as it

:52:41. > :52:44.has ever been. I am just going to try to fight through that pain

:52:45. > :52:48.barrier. I went through a lot to get here, I want to go through the best

:52:49. > :52:54.I can, and not just throw in the towel.

:52:55. > :52:58.CLARE BALDING: That sounds a lot more positive from James Woods. He

:52:59. > :53:06.is in action early in the morning with Hazel and the team, you can

:53:07. > :53:10.keep them company from 5am. GB's women take on China first thing in

:53:11. > :53:20.the curling. There is ice hockey as well, and freestyle skiing. That

:53:21. > :53:24.final, 9.15 AM. We could see Lizzie win a medal.

:53:25. > :53:31.On the red button, figure skating. The early pairs are on the ice. We

:53:32. > :53:38.are going to be showing you later live coverage of those leading the

:53:39. > :53:45.competition, but right now we are heading off to the Ice Cube to see

:53:46. > :53:48.Britain's men in the curling. Let's pick up the action. Jackie Lockhart

:53:49. > :54:01.is alongside Steve Cram. In the eighth end, and it is

:54:02. > :54:05.developing quite nicely for Britain. They have been in control all the

:54:06. > :54:12.way through this match, although it is not high-scoring. Switzerland,

:54:13. > :54:21.who had a big win against Canada yesterday, they are up against it

:54:22. > :54:28.here. They blanked the previous end when they couldn't find a scoring

:54:29. > :54:36.opportunity. And Dave Murdoch and his team are controlling this well.

:54:37. > :54:42.Each end that goes by, and there are two more after this, if they could

:54:43. > :54:58.get away with only letting Switzerland perhaps get one here,

:54:59. > :55:12.that would be good. This is Claudio Patz.

:55:13. > :55:24.They have pushed one of our stones out of the back. We have to be

:55:25. > :55:27.pretty careful here. David is going to block up that whole, because the

:55:28. > :55:30.Swiss boys could come down and tapped that read back onto the

:55:31. > :55:42.yellow. Greg Drummond has really been the

:55:43. > :55:44.star of the show. They have all been playing well, that he is really on

:55:45. > :56:03.top of his game. Just being asked to come and sit in

:56:04. > :56:10.that gap, protect a possible shot. Let's hope this doesn't draw off too

:56:11. > :56:13.much. We just need it to stop. That is good in. That has blocked up

:56:14. > :56:33.whole. He is doing well, we were just

:56:34. > :56:38.saying how composed he is out there. Most of the time he has come up

:56:39. > :56:44.trumps. So, this is getting critical now for Switzerland. Claudio Patz is

:56:45. > :56:48.chatting to the man whose responsibility it is to make the

:56:49. > :57:02.decisions, and indeed to play the stones, Sven Michelle. We saw the

:57:03. > :57:05.Swiss looking at the red run backs, and now we are looking at maybe

:57:06. > :57:12.trying to take the red and the yellow sitting outside double Peel

:57:13. > :57:15.as we would call it in our game. And that's to clear up the whole front.

:57:16. > :57:23.That does still allow Great Britain the chance to guard their shot. It

:57:24. > :57:28.does make it also a little bit easier for the Swiss boys to try to

:57:29. > :57:30.come in. So it looks like they are going to try to go for the double

:57:31. > :57:46.rip, I think. That would see as spinning the red

:57:47. > :57:52.and yellow and the running stone. What he feed takes that red that is

:57:53. > :58:00.there and jams it up against the yellow?

:58:01. > :58:08.You get the feeling that every shot is crucial now the Switzerland. What

:58:09. > :58:23.on earth is he doing there? I don't think that was the shot. It really

:58:24. > :58:35.hasn't made any difference to it. We still have a shot in the house.

:58:36. > :58:41.Great Britain potentially here could steal this end, but we have to make

:58:42. > :58:48.sure we put the cover on. The scary thing is, there is a red sitting at

:58:49. > :58:52.the back of the house. There is also the red out at the front of the

:58:53. > :59:11.house. Sometimes they can use these to promote that.

:59:12. > :59:17.You really want to get a second shot in there, to make it difficult.

:59:18. > :59:20.A time-out is called. They want to make sure that they make the right

:59:21. > :59:24.decision here, so the coach will come down.

:59:25. > :00:09.It is the first time I have seen them looking perplexed. Often when

:00:10. > :00:14.they call a time-out, it is just to make sure that they have made the

:00:15. > :00:16.right decision. But this time, I think he really does want a bit of

:00:17. > :00:30.advice. I can't quite hear what is being

:00:31. > :00:43.said. Because we are not sitting behind them, we can't quite here.

:00:44. > :00:49.There is a hole between the red and yellow, so you could potentially

:00:50. > :00:55.come through and remove that red stone.

:00:56. > :01:01.When they do take the time out, they were obviously try to get as much

:01:02. > :01:08.discussion as they can. What happens is, they get a minute for the coach

:01:09. > :01:15.to come down, and I think the umpire is coming to say that the minute is

:01:16. > :01:19.up. The coach will have to leave. Great Britain's clock will still be

:01:20. > :01:25.running now. When the time-out starts, another little stopwatch

:01:26. > :01:32.starts for one minute countdown, and that reached zero 15 seconds ago.

:01:33. > :01:37.They are only allowed one time-out for the coach during the game. You

:01:38. > :01:42.will get an extra time-out if you have to go to an extra end. And we

:01:43. > :01:45.had a technical time-out in the women's match this afternoon when

:01:46. > :01:52.there was a malfunction with the clocks. They hadn't stopped the

:01:53. > :02:02.clock when they transferred to Britain's turn to play. The Canadian

:02:03. > :02:11.clock was still ticking. I do not know what he is going to play! I

:02:12. > :02:16.think they are looking at removing this back red that we have seen.

:02:17. > :02:27.They don't want to give any opportunity... My goodness!

:02:28. > :02:35.Remembering that much against Germany, they picked up a piece of

:02:36. > :02:41.rubber. Did they pick that up again? That definitely pulled big-time. It

:02:42. > :02:50.might have got the same piece of debris or it could be a flat piece

:02:51. > :02:57.of ice? His stone did exactly the same. In the game of curling, you

:02:58. > :03:04.will often find the umpires will say, do not mature hand on the ice,

:03:05. > :03:09.do not melt the ice. Sometimes if you leave it too long, it can leave

:03:10. > :03:14.flat patches and when the stone runs across these patches that have been

:03:15. > :03:19.warmed up, they will change the direction of the stone. That is

:03:20. > :03:25.really disappointing for David. Absolutely nothing he could do about

:03:26. > :03:31.it. Any small piece of debris can make that difference. Between the

:03:32. > :03:43.smooth running of the stone and the ice. It is not curling enough? I

:03:44. > :03:51.think they have overcooked this. Well, it has been a messy finish to

:03:52. > :03:58.this end, hasn't it? Two stones left to go. One for Britain and one for

:03:59. > :04:03.Switzerland. The ideal scenario is that Switzerland only get one of

:04:04. > :04:10.them here? That was not a good shot performed by Switzerland. To be

:04:11. > :04:17.honest, maybe the justice and reward for the fact that David had a

:04:18. > :04:21.terrible pick-up? It is a cruel game if that happens and your opponents

:04:22. > :04:28.have the opportunity to capitalise big-time when you have not done

:04:29. > :04:39.anything wrong. We will see David taking this red. He would use his

:04:40. > :04:48.other hand. The idea is that he will take this on the backline. Yes. And

:04:49. > :04:55.then force them to take their one. They do not want to lose this

:04:56. > :05:02.shooter. That is good enough. Pretty good place as well. The chance to

:05:03. > :05:10.take those aren't? We cannot see the line. There is a guard at the front.

:05:11. > :05:16.There is a yellow stone. They need to get the angle to take the second

:05:17. > :05:23.one behind and not jam that against it. He needs to get those angles

:05:24. > :05:30.right so that they both go. It is not easy. It is down to the weight

:05:31. > :05:34.that he plays. You cannot throw big weight at this because he needs to

:05:35. > :05:41.get the whole of the face of the stone that we can see, it has to get

:05:42. > :05:50.past the guard at the top. It wants to combine here. -- come down here.

:05:51. > :06:07.It also has to stay in. He definitely wants to make sure he

:06:08. > :06:19.will get his one. So, Sven Michel. He has been keeping his team very

:06:20. > :06:26.much in this. Sweeping very hard. There you go. It was too straight.

:06:27. > :06:30.Just the one. Good jump as far as Great Britain are concerned. It was

:06:31. > :06:43.a messy end from both teams and we had some pick-ups. But in the end,

:06:44. > :06:46.Switzerland get one. But it is 3-2. Great Britain with the hammer in the

:06:47. > :06:53.next one and still in control in this match. The boys will breathe a

:06:54. > :07:01.sigh of relief after that pick-up. That was looking really bad for us.

:07:02. > :07:05.How they made their shop, -- shot, we could have been three against. We

:07:06. > :07:17.move into the ninth. We talk about momentum changed and

:07:18. > :07:21.there was an opportunity for that to happen but it still has not

:07:22. > :07:26.happened. In all of these matches, if your opponent makes any mistake,

:07:27. > :07:31.whether accidental or not from David Murdoch, you have to capitalise and

:07:32. > :07:37.Switzerland had a brilliant game against Canada yesterday, there was

:07:38. > :07:44.a scrappy game against China and they lost with the last stone in the

:07:45. > :07:49.final end. We both agree that they were carrying some of that into this

:07:50. > :07:55.game tonight. They have always had the demeanour of chasing this game.

:07:56. > :07:57.That will be put down to how well Britain have played as well. They

:07:58. > :08:13.need to finish this off as well. Just waiting for the noise to die

:08:14. > :08:19.down. Michael Goodfellow. The Russian cried watching their team

:08:20. > :08:34.having a tough time against Canada. Canada doing well. Michael

:08:35. > :08:41.Goodfellow being asked for a tech. -- tick. This is one of the hardest

:08:42. > :08:47.in the book. Just catching the edge of the stone. Push it to the side of

:08:48. > :08:52.the ice rink and as long as it does not fit the barrier, he has opened

:08:53. > :08:56.that up by four feet and that is a perfect shot as far as we are

:08:57. > :09:01.concerned. That is a delicate shot to play, you have to get it just

:09:02. > :09:08.right, the angle of connection and the weight. Bromley hog line to the

:09:09. > :09:18.highest stone, you cannot remove that from the game. -- from the.

:09:19. > :09:27.That applies to the first four Stones played. He will replace that.

:09:28. > :09:41.Simon will try to put this exactly where that previous one is sitting.

:09:42. > :09:50.It will not quite come across this time. He was not sure of what was

:09:51. > :09:58.being asked. He just wants to have this. Brilliant cheers going around

:09:59. > :10:00.as you can here. It is a very small arena but once the crowd gets going,

:10:01. > :10:22.you cannot hear yourself at all. Just looking to have this and roll

:10:23. > :10:31.in. That is a nice shot coming across, further than he might have

:10:32. > :10:37.liked. He may be left that too late. Should have been on that earlier,

:10:38. > :10:51.trying to hold it. But he did the jump. That was what he was asked

:10:52. > :11:04.for. We keep coming back to big Sandro Trolliet, in turns of throws,

:11:05. > :11:18.he has had a couple of shoppers. -- shockers.

:11:19. > :11:28.That is a great shot. Following the sweepers all the way down. He has

:11:29. > :11:41.pulled that one to the right, very much up to the bottom. Sitting shy

:11:42. > :11:49.of it. That is a good shot. Scott Andrews, next to play and Michael

:11:50. > :11:52.Goodfellow is ready to sweep. From the Ayrshire coast. He has had a

:11:53. > :12:06.good game today. Just a little bit full? They did not

:12:07. > :12:12.want that to pole and jam onto the back yellow. These boys are training

:12:13. > :12:15.six days a week in the gym. Their upper body strength is very strong.

:12:16. > :12:28.For sweeping. So much has changed in this game

:12:29. > :12:34.from 20 years ago. All these young athletes are training on the ice and

:12:35. > :12:49.they are in the gym. To be the best they can be. Sandro Trolliet was

:12:50. > :12:56.trying to play the Double, there. You are right. People think we look

:12:57. > :13:00.at the sweeping as the part of the sport that people least associate

:13:01. > :13:06.with the effectiveness of this match but it is so important. The fitness

:13:07. > :13:10.required, you are here for about three hours and there is a lot of

:13:11. > :13:16.sweeping involved and it is very strenuous. Some people might forget

:13:17. > :13:20.that it might only be short bursts but you are putting a huge amount of

:13:21. > :13:26.effort into that and you have to be able to can yourself down, keep your

:13:27. > :13:31.heart rate down because it is a very delicate delivery that you have to

:13:32. > :13:38.do. Yes, there are a lot of aspects to this game. They are critical.

:13:39. > :13:43.That is a very good point because just after sweeping, your heart rate

:13:44. > :13:48.shoots up and the fitter you are, the less strain that puts on your

:13:49. > :14:02.system because you want to -- you want to come back and be very calm.

:14:03. > :14:12.Claudio Patz, putting up the guard. People might also be supervised that

:14:13. > :14:15.we are on an ice rink and its associated with being a very cool

:14:16. > :14:23.venue and these boys are wearing T-shirts. The actual ice in the

:14:24. > :14:29.arena... It has been quite warm here and it has been outside. It will be

:14:30. > :14:39.extremely hot for the boys down there. That is a great shot. Very

:14:40. > :14:44.good. I cannot help repeat myself but this young boy is excelling

:14:45. > :14:48.himself, here. Yes, Greg Drummond, right from the very first match, he

:14:49. > :14:55.has been playing really, really well. Let us not pick out

:14:56. > :15:01.individuals. It is so important that they work together. And we have seen

:15:02. > :15:10.scenarios when one or two of them have had a poor shot and their

:15:11. > :15:14.team-mate has redeemed them. They need to continue to work together

:15:15. > :15:25.here. Just to make sure they keep control of this. The Swiss boys are

:15:26. > :15:30.hoping to steal one against Great Britain and that is the reason why

:15:31. > :15:37.they're putting these short stones out of the house. Hoping we will

:15:38. > :15:46.make a mistake. And they will try to come behind it. One of the options

:15:47. > :16:02.for David Murdoch is to carry on into the tent with his hammer. He

:16:03. > :16:06.has the three - to lead. -- 3-2. Some of the mistakes have been when

:16:07. > :16:11.there is no pressure at all. We mentioned yesterday, the Russian

:16:12. > :16:14.women, the skip had only one of her stones in the house and no others

:16:15. > :16:21.and she had to finish inside the rings to get two shots and level up

:16:22. > :16:27.her match and she sailed all the way through. We can often see that.

:16:28. > :16:30.These players sometimes play those big crucial shots to win. But the

:16:31. > :16:36.bread-and-butter shots in the curling world would be a simple

:16:37. > :16:43.draw. These sometimes they shot but are going to help you win Games. The

:16:44. > :16:56.concentration is required all the way through.

:16:57. > :17:04.The Swiss boys still trying to put up that centre guard.

:17:05. > :17:15.They have that look about them. They were carrying on that defeat from

:17:16. > :17:22.China. The British men did not have a game in the first session so just

:17:23. > :17:44.came here for the evening session having had a fairly relaxing day.

:17:45. > :17:54.Switzerland just going to remove this stone and they will want to

:17:55. > :18:01.remove it and then asked the question of David Murdoch, if he is

:18:02. > :18:11.going to run it out and take a blank end. Surely that is a good policy at

:18:12. > :18:15.this stage. The chances of a steel in the 10th and taking it to an

:18:16. > :18:30.extra and with Denmark will appear slim the way this has gone.

:18:31. > :18:39.The score has not been a reflection of how this match has gone. It is a

:18:40. > :18:43.tight score and anything can happen in this final end to come but

:18:44. > :18:48.Britain have been in charge of this pretty much from the off. They had

:18:49. > :18:56.the hammer at the beginning after another good last draw before the

:18:57. > :19:03.match started. David Murdoch ensured they have the hammer at the start.

:19:04. > :19:17.He still has two concentrate here. He wants to hit this stone.

:19:18. > :19:24.That is the ninth and Great Britain will retain the lead with a score of

:19:25. > :19:30.three - two. They go into the last end and they still have the hammer.

:19:31. > :19:36.He stays with the team who had it. A good position to be in. Keeping

:19:37. > :19:39.control of this match and not allowing any opportunities for

:19:40. > :19:44.Switzerland to really get back into it. As we have seen before, remember

:19:45. > :19:48.the match that the British men played against Germany where it

:19:49. > :19:53.looked like Germany were going to come out on top. It came down to the

:19:54. > :20:01.last couple of stones and it went Britain's way. Let us hope that

:20:02. > :20:08.doesn't happen here. Even a steel and they go into an extra end. They

:20:09. > :20:18.will be very happy with the situation. Playing well also. Nice

:20:19. > :20:26.shots, particularly Greg dumbo -- Greg Drummond, David Murdoch has

:20:27. > :20:28.played some nice shots. This is Switzerland, a team that won the

:20:29. > :20:41.European Championships in December. They beat Norway on home soil. They

:20:42. > :20:46.have already beaten Canada in their second match. In China, they looked

:20:47. > :20:51.like they will be sitting on top after four matches. They could end

:20:52. > :21:02.up with four wins over four matches. They are not an easy team to

:21:03. > :21:17.overcome. Great Britain haven't done it yet.

:21:18. > :21:29.Unlucky there. Michael Goodfellow trying that. A short way you want to

:21:30. > :21:34.try and move your opposition's stone of the center line. You can push it

:21:35. > :21:38.out to the wings. You are not allowed to remove it from play but

:21:39. > :21:42.it will free up that space because you do have the hammer. You don't

:21:43. > :21:56.want any of your opposition stones in the way.

:21:57. > :22:02.The Swiss boys hoping this stops short of the rings. They have

:22:03. > :22:09.decided they are going to bring it fully in. That is a mistake there

:22:10. > :22:21.from the Swiss boys. They won't be happy with that at all. He will make

:22:22. > :22:28.every effort to remove this. Michael Goodfellow. They have to be careful

:22:29. > :22:37.that they do not remove that top shot.

:22:38. > :22:47.All the way through. That is a not -- that is not a nice way to finish

:22:48. > :22:54.for him. The first one was not as bad as that one.

:22:55. > :23:10.We have seen this happen before and since what you're fellow player will

:23:11. > :23:15.be able to follow web. It could be a costly one for us. -- able to follow

:23:16. > :23:40.with. He just makes it. Very well swept

:23:41. > :23:49.and held by the Swiss boys. A second attempt at this. Tried to remove the

:23:50. > :23:51.top stone once again. Scot Andrew is concentrating here. There is a lot

:23:52. > :24:23.of noise around him. If you have a lead, you should not

:24:24. > :24:31.let them create a scenario where you are having to try and rescue it.

:24:32. > :24:36.Keep it nice and clear. Keep that route into those inner rings clear

:24:37. > :24:53.as you possibly can. That one is sitting out even further

:24:54. > :25:10.now. He has asked Greg Drummond to come

:25:11. > :25:21.up. He is asking for an opinion on this. There is two red Swiss stones

:25:22. > :25:22.out there. Either of which will cause us bother. Both sitting very

:25:23. > :25:57.close to that center line. Even a shot here, move the thing --

:25:58. > :26:08.moving either of those stones is fine but he wants to hit this one.

:26:09. > :26:18.He even wants to get it right on the face. Scott Andrews, had one of his

:26:19. > :26:27.better games here. He has been really solid here.

:26:28. > :26:45.He would like to have hit it straight at them this. He was a

:26:46. > :26:50.little bit high of the brush. He didn't give this stone a chance to

:26:51. > :26:57.come on. Even if you get it on the nose, it is not a disaster. At least

:26:58. > :27:06.he has cleared the guard. The Swiss team here come the edge is going to

:27:07. > :27:14.try and replace that. You always get the sense of anticipation as these

:27:15. > :27:24.shots are made. You are still moving towards those last couple of stones.

:27:25. > :27:30.These stones are a little bit closer now and there is a possibility of

:27:31. > :27:32.that double ripper. Greg Drummond is the man that has been asked to do

:27:33. > :27:54.it. He is playing and out-turn. Very good shot. The most important

:27:55. > :27:58.thing was to move those two stones at the front and he has done very

:27:59. > :28:08.well. Just continuing the excellent match he is having. I bet he thought

:28:09. > :28:18.for a second he had got all three. I was holding my breath though. I

:28:19. > :28:19.think he was as well. Claudio Patz, trying yet again to put another

:28:20. > :28:35.guard up. It is quite short. It has come down

:28:36. > :28:42.a little further. This is all they can do. They have to hope for a

:28:43. > :28:49.mistake. There hasn't been any from Greg Drummond so far. There hasn't.

:28:50. > :28:53.These Swiss boys will continue to put on a short guard and hope for a

:28:54. > :29:07.mistake from Great Britain. At the end of the day, the Swiss may choose

:29:08. > :29:15.to freeze on the back red. I know that is their stone. They may choose

:29:16. > :29:24.to coming closer to it. Four stones and Britons to leading mess. We will

:29:25. > :29:32.have the last stone to play. -- four stones and Britons are leading this.

:29:33. > :29:37.It will be a tough one for Switzerland to take the steel but

:29:38. > :29:46.you have to play each stone. You have to finish this off. If they

:29:47. > :29:57.were to win this, it is an excellent start.

:29:58. > :30:06.Sven Michel has not been playing as well as he could have been. They

:30:07. > :30:07.have really got to work best. They need to take this as far as they

:30:08. > :30:24.possibly can. That is a little discipline

:30:25. > :30:34.pointing. -- disappointing. He has two be very careful here because if

:30:35. > :30:41.he takes this short and lies slightly...

:30:42. > :30:58.I don't mind that. That looks pretty nice. He wants to set up against the

:30:59. > :31:18.stone. They don't want to over kernel. -- curl.

:31:19. > :31:30.To stones to play. -- two. He has kept control all the way through

:31:31. > :31:35.this match and he does not want to lose that. Perhaps being asked to

:31:36. > :31:42.play one of the more difficult shots he has had to play all evening. If

:31:43. > :31:58.he gets this right, it might just shot the Swiss art. -- shut the

:31:59. > :32:08.Swiss out. They are happy with that. The Swiss boys are just going to

:32:09. > :32:17.ignore that. Play the draw. That is the only option left. They will hope

:32:18. > :32:23.for a mistake. Even at that, he has not been too bad on the draw. We

:32:24. > :32:32.have seen him having a couple earlier in the match which did not

:32:33. > :32:39.work out well for him. He has to make is perfect. -- make this

:32:40. > :32:45.perfect. Even if he does a good jump, the guard is so high. David

:32:46. > :32:53.would have the chance to tap that through.

:32:54. > :33:08.The line is good, here. That is a pretty good shot. It has come out

:33:09. > :33:14.the other side. Well, as ever, coming down to the last stone and

:33:15. > :33:19.great written leading 3-2. It would be a shame to throw this away at the

:33:20. > :33:28.very end. David Murdoch just needs to come down and move that stone. He

:33:29. > :33:38.just needs one and it is sitting there, the yellow. Confirmation from

:33:39. > :33:46.the other end. You can see half of that. Very straightforward shot and

:33:47. > :33:52.he has the insurance. Very difficult also because you have that high

:33:53. > :34:00.guard. He just has to concentrate and play the brush. We have watched

:34:01. > :34:07.David Murdoch playing the shot a good few times over the last three

:34:08. > :34:13.days and he is well capable. But I will still hold my breath! He is

:34:14. > :34:18.looking perplexed. He has to be comfortable with the shot he has to

:34:19. > :34:25.play. He is concerned about what weight to play.

:34:26. > :34:31.The last stone of this match against Switzerland and David Murdoch

:34:32. > :34:40.looking to push that Swiss stone out. It is looking pretty good. And

:34:41. > :34:47.he has done it! Very well done, David Murdoch. Great button take

:34:48. > :34:50.this against Switzerland. They have won three out of their first four

:34:51. > :35:00.matches. And they are sitting very nicely indeed in the round-robin.

:35:01. > :35:06.Well done. They play the USA tomorrow. We shall take you away. We

:35:07. > :35:12.are heading to the Iceberg skating Palace. This is the final session of

:35:13. > :35:19.the pairs. This is a gold medal that has been one out of 12 of the last

:35:20. > :35:24.13 occasions by Russia and they have another outstanding chance because

:35:25. > :35:31.they are just compelling. They are so beautiful. We will join with the

:35:32. > :35:36.penultimate group, Canada. Zang Jialiang and Zou Dejia. Sue Barker

:35:37. > :35:52.and Robin Cousins are in the commentary box. They have been in

:35:53. > :35:55.the top two of three grand prix events this season. Third in last

:35:56. > :36:02.year 's World Championships. The first of the top eight teams. Can

:36:03. > :36:08.the improved on their position? Just taking their time to steady

:36:09. > :36:13.themselves. Getting into the right frame of mind to start. They are

:36:14. > :36:51.ready. Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, of Canada.

:36:52. > :37:06.Slight misstep. Coming into this triple twist.

:37:07. > :37:18.The hardest of the side-by-side triple jumps tonight. Triple lutz,

:37:19. > :37:22.is what they are after. And they have got them. Certainly better than

:37:23. > :38:05.last night. Nice, deep position. Outside that

:38:06. > :38:51.spiral. The second of their solo jumps.

:38:52. > :39:53.Trouble Zokos. -- triple Salchows. Elements coming back to back. First

:39:54. > :40:04.with the loop, the second, the lutz. The hand goes down. That was a

:40:05. > :40:52.costly element. Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford.

:40:53. > :41:01.You concede the cigarette as Asian has gone. Travelling quite a bit

:41:02. > :41:07.around the ice. Both of them not managing to contain that spin. Not a

:41:08. > :41:12.clean finish. We will cease in a different styles of performance over

:41:13. > :41:15.the next hour or so and they love their speed and power but there were

:41:16. > :41:22.mistakes. Quite a few mistakes, that will be costly. Fifth place. The

:41:23. > :41:26.other Canadians and Chinese are only one point behind them. They have

:41:27. > :41:31.opened the door. When they open the door, it becomes very messy. And

:41:32. > :41:41.they need that finesse and control over those elements. Will they hold

:41:42. > :41:45.on fifth-place? We will find out. But they are a beautiful pair to

:41:46. > :41:50.watch and when it is right, it really does work. I mentioned the

:41:51. > :41:54.speed and power. It is all about that so when that goes wrong, their

:41:55. > :42:01.timing was off in a couple of those those. They're usually very

:42:02. > :42:06.consistent. It did not quite happen but right from the word go, there

:42:07. > :42:11.was that misstep leading into that triple twist. It told me they were

:42:12. > :42:23.not in perfect single resolution. Just with each other. --

:42:24. > :42:30.synchronisation. Side-by-side, better tonight than in the shorter

:42:31. > :42:36.programme yesterday. Triple Salchow. Lovely for him with that Double toe

:42:37. > :42:51.loop. But Meagan Duhamel not making that rotation. Again, such tight

:42:52. > :42:56.rotation so soon after the throw. And now the of them was centred. He

:42:57. > :43:07.was travelling towards us and she was going in the other direction.

:43:08. > :43:12.Not the best. There were a number of errors, there. Fifth place after the

:43:13. > :43:19.short programme but they will have a nervous wait. They will not like

:43:20. > :43:29.what they see. That is a new season best. But there are some strong

:43:30. > :43:33.teams left to come. 127.32, might not be the cushion they need. There

:43:34. > :43:39.are hoping to move up the rankings. I am not sure that will happen. But

:43:40. > :43:48.the Canadian champions leading at the moment.

:43:49. > :43:57.The Canadian champions have made some errors and that has opened the

:43:58. > :44:01.door for the second Canadian team. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan

:44:02. > :44:09.Moscovitch. They were lying in one place behind them. The battle for

:44:10. > :44:12.Canadian supremacy. They showed so much speed and power in the team

:44:13. > :44:17.event and some daring moves. And they are always fun to watch. Here

:44:18. > :44:47.we go, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch from Canada.

:44:48. > :44:59.Bubbling with the triple twist. -- opening. That was very nice and

:45:00. > :45:12.light. Great speed and flowed through that take-off into the

:45:13. > :45:13.landing. Triple toe loop. Very nice! The second one even better than the

:45:14. > :45:33.first. Side-by-side, triple from her. But

:45:34. > :46:23.not from Dylan Moscovitch. Love the little feature with her

:46:24. > :46:53.foot resting on his foot. Excellent footwork and great control

:46:54. > :48:36.on the left. Lovely. -- lift. Again, multiple rotation in both

:48:37. > :49:17.directions. Good, strong lifting. Celebrate indeed. That is the

:49:18. > :49:21.performance of the night so far. Difficult elements and beautifully

:49:22. > :49:27.choreographed. She just held some incredible positions in the air.

:49:28. > :49:30.They were super in the team event and they have delivered again

:49:31. > :49:36.tonight. Better tonight even with the mistake. This is a programme

:49:37. > :49:41.that plays right into their strengths. There is a little bit of

:49:42. > :49:45.story telling. It is sweet, it is cute but it is controlled and very

:49:46. > :49:51.dynamic. One of those types of routines that I hope will play down

:49:52. > :49:55.the cameras as well as in reality. I hope you enjoyed that as much as

:49:56. > :50:02.everyone did here. Wonderful from the Canadians. There is a lot of

:50:03. > :50:09.vitality out there and she does bobble on the ice but you have to

:50:10. > :50:16.contain it. Sometimes it is a little bit hit and miss. She has two be in

:50:17. > :50:19.control. The Russian supporters are chanting because the third Russian

:50:20. > :50:30.team are on the eyes preparing for their routine. He is just saying

:50:31. > :50:37.that he nailed the spin. This was just the error. He just did the

:50:38. > :50:49.double cell co-. She did the triple. She really does have to control that

:50:50. > :51:01.rotation of where she is in the air for those landings. Rotating quite

:51:02. > :51:05.early on the take-off. Hits that position. Again we were talking

:51:06. > :51:10.earlier about the quality of the footwork that the boys are doing

:51:11. > :51:18.during the lifts. Dylan is one of the strongest ones for me tonight.

:51:19. > :51:23.She hasn't stopped smiling since she got here in Sochi. Enjoying the

:51:24. > :51:38.whole Olympic experience as I think they will enjoy the look of these

:51:39. > :51:42.marks. 131.18. The judges loved their choreography and that puts

:51:43. > :51:48.them number one in the free skating. Head of the Canadian champions.

:51:49. > :52:04.Wonderful performance from them and so much to be proud of. Excellent.

:52:05. > :52:17.Stand-by. Here come Russians. The crowd here in Sochi have so much to

:52:18. > :52:26.celebrate in pairs skating. This is the Russian number three pair.

:52:27. > :52:30.Yesterday, there cheeky Charlie Chaplin routine was not perfect.

:52:31. > :52:32.Because of the quality of the other skaters, they are down in eighth

:52:33. > :53:24.place. Can they move up? The triple on two feet. The timing

:53:25. > :53:30.was off as well. Double axle combinations. Made the first one.

:53:31. > :53:40.They made their second one but it was slightly under rotated by Vera.

:53:41. > :57:18.The first element of the throes. The triple flip. Clean as a whistle.

:57:19. > :57:25.What a strong second half to that programme. Is it going to be good

:57:26. > :57:30.enough to put them up the rankings? It is a style that really suits

:57:31. > :57:38.them. It is more traditional. Very famous faces there. They are

:57:39. > :57:46.enjoying the pair skating. We enjoyed watching them many years

:57:47. > :57:51.ago. There were errors. Yes. This is the style that really suits them. I

:57:52. > :58:00.wasn't sure about the Charlie Chaplin yesterday. I much prefer to

:58:01. > :58:04.see them skate like this. It was very much on two feet and the double

:58:05. > :58:10.axle was very slow. It didn't quite pick up for me at the end as I hoped

:58:11. > :58:14.it would. We will see eighth after the short programme. Is that good

:58:15. > :58:23.enough to see them further up the rankings? The difficulty was

:58:24. > :58:29.certainly there in a lot of the moves. They get bonuses for the

:58:30. > :58:34.lifts within the combination skin -- combination spin. I would have to

:58:35. > :58:40.plump with the Canadians over that one. Of what we have just seen.

:58:41. > :58:43.There lifts are exquisite and she doesn't hit a bad position but we

:58:44. > :58:49.have seen them like that since they came onto the scene. Their lifts

:58:50. > :58:58.were always brilliant. It will be interesting to see the second mark.

:58:59. > :59:00.Coming in for the triple toe loops. She was jumping way too early. She

:59:01. > :59:23.was definitely on two feet. Maybe triple flip. A check of

:59:24. > :59:25.whether the hand did or did not touch on this throw loop. Lovely air

:59:26. > :59:53.position. Yes, it very much did. The points to look out for if they

:59:54. > :00:04.go over 132.44 they will be the new leaders. Nervous watch for them and

:00:05. > :00:13.the crowd. Oh, no. Not to be. 129.94. In second place in the free

:00:14. > :00:24.skate and second place overall. They are still below the Canadians. I can

:00:25. > :00:25.say that double axle combination was drat -- was downgraded. It was

:00:26. > :00:53.costly. This will be interesting. It is his

:00:54. > :01:00.fourth Olympic Games. He is enjoying a new partnership. They have only

:01:01. > :01:05.been skating together for two years but putting in more dangerous moves

:01:06. > :01:13.all the time. Lying seventh Ave the short programme. From China, here we

:01:14. > :01:26.go. Taking his time. He wants peace and

:01:27. > :01:30.quiet after all the excitement of the Russians. Composing himself and

:01:31. > :01:42.his younger partner for this performance. The only quadruple

:01:43. > :02:12.twist of this competition and it shall be their opening move.

:02:13. > :02:21.Troubled toe loop, double toe loop, she did not quite have enough speed

:02:22. > :02:31.coming out of the double. They have got ten points for that quadruple.

:02:32. > :02:36.10.39, to be precise. They need this. And she has fallen again,

:02:37. > :03:47.bless her. The double axel. They need the throw. Triple loop.

:03:48. > :04:34.Lovely. Again, nice and light. Softly into

:04:35. > :06:14.the landing. What a delightful programme. And a

:06:15. > :06:20.pat on the back from Felicia Zhang because he knows that those jumps

:06:21. > :06:23.will prove costly. The nerves have been here and the big Olympic

:06:24. > :06:29.competition might just be too much for her. Just 16 years old and a

:06:30. > :06:36.superstar in the making. They are a lovely pair together. Glorious

:06:37. > :06:41.quality from somebody is so young. Skating with the Olympic silver

:06:42. > :06:49.medallist. Yes, it was a tough warm up and he was doing his best. Where

:06:50. > :06:59.will the judges but then? That was a huge start with that quadruple

:07:00. > :07:05.twist. The reigning Olympic champion, who is coaching them. He

:07:06. > :07:07.knows exactly what it is like to skate on these big occasions and he

:07:08. > :07:15.will give her some reassuring words. Level four on both of those

:07:16. > :07:25.final lifts. Look at this rotation. Yes, she is there. Eight points each

:07:26. > :07:30.for those last lifts. They have made some points. But she was just very

:07:31. > :07:38.tense in her shoulders on the take-off. On that double axel. We

:07:39. > :07:43.have been watching practice and she has been nailing them time after

:07:44. > :07:48.time. That is easy. Triple toe loop. She can rotate easily. Just

:07:49. > :07:54.experience, she just needs the experience. Well, she has got two

:07:55. > :08:01.men on the right-hand side, her partner, fourth Olympic Games. Those

:08:02. > :08:05.men will certainly help regain that experience. And they will learn from

:08:06. > :08:09.it and she will learn from it. The man on her right is the man who,

:08:10. > :08:15.during our time, was learning everything about figure skating by

:08:16. > :08:25.video taping any Championship you could get to. Amazing to watch them.

:08:26. > :08:36.They were lying in seventh place after the short programme.

:08:37. > :08:59.128.5, their season best. I am not sure it will be close to that. No,

:09:00. > :09:05.not with those falls. 125.13. Fourth place in the free skating. The crowd

:09:06. > :09:09.are enjoying that in the Iceberg skating Palace but they are getting

:09:10. > :09:18.very excited because they have a chance of medals. We can rejoin the

:09:19. > :09:23.action for the final four players. Here we are, completing the warm up.

:09:24. > :09:28.All this so important, just to get rid of those nerves and

:09:29. > :09:31.anticipation. And the gold medal is at stake and for the Germans and the

:09:32. > :09:37.Russians, this is the ultimate competition? It is. And just looking

:09:38. > :09:46.at the planned programme, there is no actual planned by the Germans.

:09:47. > :09:57.They are going for what they know. The top four coming up. The couple

:09:58. > :10:02.in third place. Then the favourites. Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim

:10:03. > :10:08.Trankov. Then the Chinese, silver medallists in Vancouver four years

:10:09. > :10:16.ago. The experienced Jian Tong and Qing Pang. And then the Germans will

:10:17. > :10:21.be the last. And they are lying in second place after the short

:10:22. > :10:29.programme. The first of the top three. Their outstanding at the

:10:30. > :10:32.European Championships. Can they put the pressure on the top two? A

:10:33. > :11:14.lovely programme. Opening move. Triple twist left. --

:11:15. > :11:18.left. Beautifully done. Easily through. The take-off and the flow.

:11:19. > :11:41.Strong landing. The speed and the flow coming out of

:11:42. > :13:49.that spiral. Double axel Pramac. -- double axel.

:13:50. > :13:51.Well, into the second half of this routine. Extra bonus points for all

:13:52. > :15:03.of those elements. I love this. Love the extra feature

:15:04. > :15:26.with the entry. Very strong and just one element left. It is the throat

:15:27. > :15:33.salchow. -- throw. And the crowd erupts! They are delighted. That was

:15:34. > :15:37.fun and fabulous. They have delivered all of the elements again

:15:38. > :15:45.tonight and boy, do the three that are left to skate have plenty to

:15:46. > :15:52.worry about. That was glorious. Such a great routine because none of

:15:53. > :15:56.those little added extras detracted or do anything away from how classy

:15:57. > :16:02.and clever those elements are. It was supreme. Very strong,

:16:03. > :16:06.technically. And the favourites for the gold-medal, waiting patiently.

:16:07. > :16:11.They will know just how good that is. As it was at the European

:16:12. > :16:21.Championships. You cannot ask for more at the Olympics. The Russian

:16:22. > :16:27.crowd absolutely delighted. They will have seen them performing like

:16:28. > :16:32.this in training. But the pressure that they are under and look at what

:16:33. > :16:41.they have delivered. A wonderful way to start this final group. Featuring

:16:42. > :16:49.will not stop. The next they're coming on. Russia want to have two

:16:50. > :17:03.on the podium and they want gold and silver and did very well could be.

:17:04. > :17:09.Straight in on this flip and she is as solid as a rock when she jumps.

:17:10. > :17:23.In for the triples. The timing is superb. Struggled very slightly

:17:24. > :17:30.there. That is the last one. She rotates before he let her go but

:17:31. > :17:32.that is how it works for them. A strong triple twist as well. Those

:17:33. > :17:46.component scores will be very big. You just know that this stadium is

:17:47. > :17:57.going to erupt when they see these scores as well because the judges

:17:58. > :18:02.have to be impressed with that. Seasons-macro best by a mile. That

:18:03. > :18:15.is some score. That will surely be a medal. But what colour? 72 points in

:18:16. > :18:20.the technical score alone. That is what you want. You have to be equal

:18:21. > :18:22.parties in an overall routine and it doesn't get better than that. I hope

:18:23. > :18:41.it does and we are about to see it. Here they come. They are a couple

:18:42. > :18:49.that don't seem deterred by the immense pressure they are under

:18:50. > :18:54.here. They are the leaders after the short programme by some way that

:18:55. > :18:59.they have made mistakes in the free programme at the European

:19:00. > :19:04.Championships. Will this support that we are hearing now carry them

:19:05. > :19:08.through to gold? Steadying themselves. The three-time European

:19:09. > :19:11.champions, the reigning world champions going for Olympic glory to

:19:12. > :19:57.win their second gold medal here in Sochi.

:19:58. > :20:08.Huge triple twist lift to open. Side-by-side triples that they want.

:20:09. > :20:20.Yes! Easy. Second solo jumps also triples.

:20:21. > :22:02.Hopefully in combination. Into the speed for the first two

:22:03. > :22:28.throws. They will review that if the hand went down.

:22:29. > :24:11.What did I say? This is their time and that added with their short

:24:12. > :24:18.programme, surely unbeatable. The pressure, you can now see the

:24:19. > :24:23.pressure release. They have been the team for the last couple of years

:24:24. > :24:26.and the team to beat. They came as favourites for the gold medal and

:24:27. > :24:31.they haven't put a foot wrong since they came out on the ice in the team

:24:32. > :24:38.competition and in these championships. It wasn't perfect but

:24:39. > :24:42.it is good enough. One touchdown. There were a few little moments that

:24:43. > :24:49.were not quite as secure as they can be. I am being very picky but there

:24:50. > :24:54.are nine people down there doing exactly the same thing. There are

:24:55. > :25:00.12,000 people waving their flags and they are convinced it is the goals.

:25:01. > :25:03.They are wearing the right colour. Maybe they will be wearing that

:25:04. > :25:13.medal out in the Olympic Park tomorrow.

:25:14. > :25:23.That second school is going to be huge. There is such a quality to

:25:24. > :25:30.their movement. A class to every shape that she particular --

:25:31. > :25:37.particularly puts into every move. There with their coach who has been

:25:38. > :25:42.at their side. A new partnership after the last Olympics and they

:25:43. > :25:49.have got better and better as every year has gone by. They have saved

:25:50. > :25:53.the best for here. The triple twist is join enormous and it is so soft

:25:54. > :26:00.and secure on the landing. It was probably one of their best elements.

:26:01. > :26:16.It was the loop here. The hand did go down. There is no deduction but

:26:17. > :26:27.execution will be affected. They got 6.4 for the throw loop.

:26:28. > :26:41.It was the quality of the skating. What a great reaction as well. I can

:26:42. > :26:50.tell you now that the score they need to beat is 134.52. It is just

:26:51. > :26:56.how many more it will be them mad. And whether it matches their

:26:57. > :27:06.season's best. Not quite but certainly good enough. 152.69. A

:27:07. > :27:12.little error just proving costly. Look at the presentation. They are

:27:13. > :27:21.the leaders by almost nine points from their fellow Russians. There is

:27:22. > :27:32.still two to skate. I believe they think they have done enough.

:27:33. > :27:48.Follow that. They will be wisely taking all the time that they can to

:27:49. > :28:09.prepare for the start. They are lying in fourth. Can they

:28:10. > :28:13.close the gap and earn a place on the podium once again? She is 33 and

:28:14. > :28:53.he is 34. Bay open with a double axle

:28:54. > :29:06.sequence. The second axel not happening. They need to recompose

:29:07. > :29:17.now. Stepping with conviction on the toe loops.

:29:18. > :31:08.Watch for the power and height on the triple twist.

:31:09. > :33:13.What a beautiful routine to choose to say farewell to figure skating.

:33:14. > :33:17.They are retiring after such an after so many great romance at the

:33:18. > :33:24.Olympic Games. Silver medallists four years ago. The desperate to be

:33:25. > :33:31.on the podium. I wonder if they just might miss out but what a beautiful

:33:32. > :33:34.way to say farewell. Those first few elements in the jump sequences were

:33:35. > :33:42.sadly lacking and they are usually very consistent. Some of those

:33:43. > :33:50.lifts, fairly straightforward, and not necessarily better positions for

:33:51. > :33:54.the girl in the air. What a trip and has been, producing magnificent

:33:55. > :33:59.performances here in the team event and here tonight in the short run.

:34:00. > :34:05.He carried the flag at the opening ceremony. Great memories to take

:34:06. > :34:11.away. 8.94 that one left in the middle. 7.4, that was for the triple

:34:12. > :34:23.loop. That was their highest jump element. Neither me the rotation.

:34:24. > :34:50.Under review. Double axel, single axel sequence. That is the trouble.

:34:51. > :34:54.-- triple. Throw loop. Beautiful. Fourth place they are at the moment.

:34:55. > :35:15.Will they still be in fourth place? A nervous watch for them to see

:35:16. > :35:20.where they will be. This Russian crowd know exactly what that score

:35:21. > :35:26.means. They have not moved above the second Russian pair, Ksenia Stolbova

:35:27. > :35:30.and Fedor Klimov. They are lying in third place with just one team left.

:35:31. > :35:35.It looks as though they will miss out on a place on the podium in

:35:36. > :35:38.their final competition but they leave with some great memories. Two

:35:39. > :36:05.of the greats. Here we go, the final power. Where

:36:06. > :36:19.will those medals go? Four points behind the Russians. When they risk

:36:20. > :36:26.this with the triple Axel? -- triple Axel. Will they be brave enough to

:36:27. > :36:34.put this in? It will be the final element of the programme. So, they

:36:35. > :36:40.came here for the gold medal. But they are a long way from taking it

:36:41. > :36:47.from the Russians. Will they keep hold of silver? Because Ksenia

:36:48. > :36:57.Stolbova and Fedor Klimov were so strong tonight. The last to skate.

:36:58. > :37:28.Aliona Savchenko and 90 macro. -- Robin Szolkowy.

:37:29. > :37:51.Huge, lovely, soft landing from Aliona Savchenko.

:37:52. > :37:57.Robin has gone on the first triple toe loop. The second one will not

:37:58. > :38:06.happen and that is the gold-medal gone.

:38:07. > :38:16.That ripple of applause from the crowd is lovely to hear, willing

:38:17. > :38:22.them on, even though they know that the gold medal is for the Russian

:38:23. > :39:21.team. I think the Germans are fighting for bronze.

:39:22. > :41:35.Just the final throw left to come. This is it. Triple axel. All or

:41:36. > :41:52.nothing. Well, they had to go for it. And,

:41:53. > :41:56.boy, they did well to keep going. They knew that mistake at the start

:41:57. > :42:00.would prove costly and they seemed to lose momentum during the

:42:01. > :42:05.programme, they knew the gold medal had gone and that is what they came

:42:06. > :42:08.here for. It got quite slow toward the end, that final lift was a

:42:09. > :42:14.glorious position but extremely slow. I could feel they were

:42:15. > :42:18.possibly just preparing themselves for the throw. And at the expense

:42:19. > :42:23.quality of some other elements I have to say. Has that cost them the

:42:24. > :42:31.silver medal? Gold is definitely gone. I do not know if you felt

:42:32. > :42:34.that, but there was that moment of realisation with this audience that

:42:35. > :42:39.they were not going to win the gold and the Russians had got it and yet

:42:40. > :42:46.they were applauding them, trying to will be on. I thought that was

:42:47. > :42:50.lovely. -- will them on. They have won all of it over the years, Ford

:42:51. > :43:02.times world champions. But it was the Russians who took over a year

:43:03. > :43:08.ago. Still 5.25 points for that triple axel. Worth the effort for

:43:09. > :43:13.trying. But probably not going to make the difference. They came here

:43:14. > :43:15.for the gold and we will find out if they even hold onto silver. It is

:43:16. > :43:32.likely to be bronze. They have been so innovative over

:43:33. > :43:38.the years, pushing the boundaries. But it was just Tatiana Volosozhar

:43:39. > :43:41.and Maxim Trankov who got together after the Olympics and are proving

:43:42. > :43:45.to get to know themselves as a couple, they have moved ahead of

:43:46. > :43:52.them, they had to try those special throws to catch them. They need to

:43:53. > :43:57.work. And the things they can do in their sleep, as Robin does, it is

:43:58. > :44:06.easy. But this is the Olympics and the pressure is on. The height, just

:44:07. > :44:16.how light and easy this triple flip is... Glorious. Lovely running edge

:44:17. > :44:23.on the exit. Stepping in, slightly ahead of him on the take-off. I do

:44:24. > :44:26.not know if that caused her to try and rush but they were planning on

:44:27. > :44:37.the triple toe loop combination. And they did not get downgraded. 1.18.

:44:38. > :44:43.Triple axel, makes the rotation but not in a position to try to get that

:44:44. > :44:53.landing. Where would you put them? Probably fourth place. Third

:44:54. > :44:58.overall. They gave everything to win this, they changed their short run

:44:59. > :45:05.in the last few weeks and with that triple Axel into the performance.

:45:06. > :45:12.Ouch! Look at that. That does put them into fourth place. But that is

:45:13. > :45:20.third overall. So they do take home bronze. Confirmation, it is a bronze

:45:21. > :45:26.medal for the Germans. Gold and silver for Russia. And Tatiana

:45:27. > :45:30.Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov have given us another night to remember.

:45:31. > :45:37.They have saved the best for the Olympics. Indeed. And all teams came

:45:38. > :45:43.out and did exactly what they needed today. There was talk this afternoon

:45:44. > :45:47.that it could be Russia one, two and they certainly deserve that.

:45:48. > :45:55.Outstanding performances. A second gold medal for the great Maxim

:45:56. > :45:59.Trankov and Tatiana Volosozhar. Silver for Fedor Klimov and Ksenia

:46:00. > :46:03.Stolbova. We hope they can carry on, they are talking of retiring, the

:46:04. > :46:08.Germans, Robin Szolkowy and Aliona Savchenko. That is a fantastic

:46:09. > :46:15.result for Canada, fifth place. They were wonderful tonight. They put in

:46:16. > :46:21.another star performance. Even further down, the other American

:46:22. > :46:24.team have certainly moved up. We have seen some wonderful

:46:25. > :46:27.performances but there is no one going anywhere in this stadium

:46:28. > :46:32.because although there are no medals awarded, they will get to see

:46:33. > :46:41.Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov and they want to celebrate with

:46:42. > :46:45.them. Did you enjoy that? We had a big crowd of Russians watching the

:46:46. > :46:53.screen and they were delighted with that. I would love from -- to know

:46:54. > :47:04.from you both, how do they compare to others? They have been getting

:47:05. > :47:09.stronger and stronger. What we could see was as soon as they had

:47:10. > :47:14.finished, it was like the steam being let out of the kettle, that

:47:15. > :47:18.pressure was released. They finally showed us what pressure they had

:47:19. > :47:27.been under and yet they performed all so cleanly. The new judging

:47:28. > :47:35.system that they have brought in, the difficulty that those two

:47:36. > :47:42.perform out there, they have taken skating to a whole new level. We saw

:47:43. > :47:49.that one tiny error of that hand down on the ice but a great

:47:50. > :47:58.recovery. It is a great recovery and there is no deduction on that but

:47:59. > :48:04.the judges that are sitting there will bring down the execution. We

:48:05. > :48:12.can see it coming up but it wasn't going to be enough. Glorious. Seeing

:48:13. > :48:18.highlights now of all three medallists. The second Russian pair

:48:19. > :48:21.took the silver medal. On the Germans and skating under that

:48:22. > :48:27.pressure, when you know early on that it has gone wrong, how

:48:28. > :48:32.difficult is it to keep going? That is why you train every day for hours

:48:33. > :48:36.and hours. In training you will be falling, doing every routine

:48:37. > :48:41.hundreds of thousands of times and you want to make sure. They knew

:48:42. > :48:45.that they were going to need that triple axel at the end. They get the

:48:46. > :48:52.points for the effort in the new system. You lose a deduction for

:48:53. > :48:57.falling but it wasn't enough. They had already lost points at the

:48:58. > :49:02.beginning. They did really need that triple axel because they were seven

:49:03. > :49:10.points behind the Russians in the free skate. They needed to land

:49:11. > :49:15.that. They had to take the risk. Thank you so much to Robin Cousins

:49:16. > :49:21.and Sue Barker. Brilliant action there from the skating palace. They

:49:22. > :49:27.will be presented with flowers and the medal ceremony will take place

:49:28. > :49:35.tomorrow. These were the scenes outside as a group of Russians

:49:36. > :49:42.gathered around the Sochi trolley. This was the moment they realised

:49:43. > :49:49.that Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov had won the medal and Russia

:49:50. > :49:53.had also taken the silver medal. I like to think they are cheering and

:49:54. > :49:59.applauding the trolley as well as the performance. It is great to be

:50:00. > :50:02.surrounded by that warmth and we will be reflecting back on the best

:50:03. > :50:15.of the action from day five at seven o'clock. We are going to head over

:50:16. > :50:18.to the Bolshoi Stadium now for the ice hockey. The USA were up against

:50:19. > :50:58.Karen -- Canada. She scores. The US take the

:50:59. > :51:05.advantage. She blasted it home. The American fans go mad.

:51:06. > :51:20.Thank you very much. Megan Augusta. Tried and tested way for the

:51:21. > :51:25.Canadians. Great presence of mind and Megan Augusta will not miss from

:51:26. > :51:38.6.5 feet out. The whistle has gone before they

:51:39. > :51:44.cross the line, or has it? I thought we heard it. The Canadians will

:51:45. > :51:49.celebrate. I thought I heard a whistle in my headphones. I think

:51:50. > :51:55.they are going to go upstairs. The referee is doing up a helmet in the

:51:56. > :52:06.box. Where will she point? She points to the centre. It is a goal.

:52:07. > :52:20.Megan Augusta looking to make it two. Thank you very much. The

:52:21. > :52:31.Canadians now lead by three goals to one. Canada are happy. The flags fly

:52:32. > :52:37.high for Megan Augusta. Help coming. This is a real opportunity.

:52:38. > :52:44.A second goal of the game for the US and now we have a Grand Slam finish.

:52:45. > :52:52.It may have deflected. There is going to be some fantastic

:52:53. > :53:03.ice hockey here. We will show highlights of the best

:53:04. > :53:09.matches. If you get a question in a pub guests -- quiz in which sport we

:53:10. > :53:17.are the most stressful, it is the skeleton. Four years ago Amy

:53:18. > :53:24.Williams won gold in Vancouver and before that, Shelley Rudman talk the

:53:25. > :53:28.medal ensuring. Lizzie Yarnold won the World Cup series and she is not

:53:29. > :53:36.afraid to set her sights firmly on gold here in Sochi.

:53:37. > :53:43.You always feel nervous before you compete or train. It is something

:53:44. > :53:49.where you need to be aware of feeling nervous because it can be

:53:50. > :53:57.quite dangerous. It is that thrill and the adrenaline that I really

:53:58. > :54:01.love. As he walked to the start block, you have to be really focused

:54:02. > :54:13.and ready to produce power really fast.

:54:14. > :54:22.As soon as I am in position, I let my body mole into the sled. When I

:54:23. > :54:32.came into the programme, Amy Williams had just won the gold

:54:33. > :54:41.medal. I slot in the amazing machine that is British skeleton. Your mind

:54:42. > :54:47.just takes over. Your peripheral vision completely takes over. You

:54:48. > :54:52.are feeling the interaction between you and the ice and it is all your

:54:53. > :54:57.senses working. There is no perfect run. There is always something you

:54:58. > :55:06.can improve on. The angle into the corner, your speed or your line. It

:55:07. > :55:13.is not only about doing well against other athletes, it is seeing how

:55:14. > :55:19.good I can be against myself. I am so proud to say my hardest

:55:20. > :55:25.competition is within my own team. Shelley is an amazing athlete. She

:55:26. > :55:29.has so much experience. We are friends away from the track but once

:55:30. > :55:36.we are on the start block, she is one of my hardest rivals. Her

:55:37. > :55:43.performance has pushed me to be better because I know I can't let

:55:44. > :55:50.up. Every single session, I have to try and be the best version of me

:55:51. > :55:59.that I can. Lizzie Yarnold of Great Britain. Our World Cup leader.

:56:00. > :56:07.Victory. A very impressive slide. World Cup champion, Lizzie Yarnold.

:56:08. > :56:13.The great thing about the Olympics from what I have heard is it is a

:56:14. > :56:16.magical event. It is my first Olympics so I am taking it one step

:56:17. > :56:25.at a time and I hope to perform at my best and I am believably

:56:26. > :56:32.motivators so fingers crossed. -- motivated. She is absolutely

:56:33. > :56:36.brilliant and I love that line, I want to be the best version of me

:56:37. > :56:41.that I can. Digital to bout Amy Williams and how her team surrounds

:56:42. > :56:51.her so who better to guide us down the track than the Olympic champion.

:56:52. > :57:04.Here we are for skeleton. It is 1500 metres long with 17 corners. It is

:57:05. > :57:08.the best track I have ever seen. This start here is beautiful. It is

:57:09. > :57:14.long and flat and the athletes will have to decide the crucial point

:57:15. > :57:21.when to load onto the sled. It is designed for the Russians because

:57:22. > :57:24.they are very fast starters. The Porsche is really important and to

:57:25. > :57:41.continue that for the first two corners. -- push. We have three

:57:42. > :57:47.uphill sections in this track that really unique. No track has ever had

:57:48. > :57:53.that before. One of them comes out of this corner. You don't notice how

:57:54. > :57:57.steep this is that you notice it and if they are lying on the eyes, they

:57:58. > :58:00.will see the uphill. It is important that they don't move around on their

:58:01. > :58:10.sled otherwise they will be skidding.

:58:11. > :58:21.It is pretty steep on the way down here.

:58:22. > :58:37.Big corner ten. Big oscillations and big ways that they will have to try

:58:38. > :58:44.and steer out. This is corner 12 and 13 into 14. Vital that the athletes

:58:45. > :58:51.take a little clip on the left to line themselves out. Keep that

:58:52. > :59:02.speed. Position is vital. Aerodynamics are really important

:59:03. > :59:06.now. Exit 17, finish line just there and hopefully you will get over in a

:59:07. > :59:13.really good time. It is a technical track, it is beautiful, the ice is

:59:14. > :59:23.wonderful and I have high hopes for our Team GB men and women. Amy has

:59:24. > :59:26.good reason to be positive because Lizzie Yarnold has been going faster

:59:27. > :59:27.and faster in training and Shelley Rudman has been going well also.

:59:28. > :59:57.This is the time plan for tomorrow. The Olympic Park is lit up all

:59:58. > :00:01.around because the sky is dark. The ice hockey dome here, they put the

:00:02. > :00:06.score on the actual roof and they animate every time a goal is

:00:07. > :00:09.scored. It is wonderful. We will be back shortly with the highlights of

:00:10. > :00:12.day five. See you for now.