Day 6, Part 1 - 9.00am to 12.00am Winter Olympics

do you want to be big and heavy or small and slim? There is not one

rule, but if you are big and heavy, it is an advantage. But if you hit a

wall and you are heavier, you will slow down quicker. The German is in

the lead, ahead of Shelley Rudman and Janine Flock. Now Michelle

Steele from Australia. Being roared on by the crowd, what is the

difference at the start? She is in the lead and that is good for her.

It is a tremendous start by Steele. The power start has really put her

in good stead. The Aussies pick phenomenal athletes and then turn

them into sliding athletes, like the Brits. She will be pleased that she

went faster, she got high on the wall but she has got it back under

control. She is going well. Write down the middle and coming across to

the left a bit like so many athletes do. -- right down the middle. She

has wasted it, she is making big mistakes. She has lost the lead. She

has lost it totally. She will not have a clue that she is up in the

middle of that race. It can always give her confidence, she can look at

the footage and try to reflect on where she went wrong. Shelley Rudman

has stayed ahead of Michelle Steele. She chooses to do the two-handed

start, how much quicker can you go with one hand?

She is a small athlete, she can get a more solid push with two hands. It

does not work for everyone. Her new husband has just flown out to sea

and watch her, very nice, Ballantine 's data my! Indeed! -- Valentine's

Day tomorrow. It will be interesting to see what

Thees does here. One of the senior Germans with Huber and Griebel. That

was pretty much the slowest time we have seen so far. She had an

advantage of 17 one hundredths on Steele. She is one of those sliders

who wears gets it back. She used to do a bit of luge so she has a

different theory with how she slides. It is a shame she does not

have the start or I would be putting her up there in medals. She is

riding beautifully at the moment, making one or two bounces but they

are very light. She has gone behind through the middle section, I am

surprised. It is going to be exceptionally tight on the line.

1:50 8.67 and she is down in seventh place. --

Let's look at the start again. You can see when someone is powering

away beautifully. She is not a great sprinter, she is not from that

background. She doesn't have those fast twitch muscles but she has

improved over the years and she trains really hard. Here is her

team-mate, Huber, who is so powerful at the start. Huber, the bronze

medallist in 2010. Behind Amy Williams.

Huber is ready. Here we go. Is the start any better than it was last

time? Well... Such was the advantage that she had over the last person,

she has maintained it. She had an advantage over Griebel of 26

hundredths. She is a great slider, she has the full package. She is a

perfect specimen of a skeleton athlete. A great start, look at her

on the sled, she is tucked in. You can see her moving her head as she

comes out of the corner. Not fighting too much. She is 39

hundredths up. A very consistent athlete. We're not getting given the

speed gun but she is still over a third of a second up. It is a

healthy lead. She comes across in 59.13, .33 of a second ahead. Huber

is in the lead. There has never been a skeleton athlete that has won two

medals in and Olympics. Huber could make history. No one has defended a

title or manage to get two medals. You could always come back! I don't

know if my body would let me do that. I wish, I would love to be

standing on the podium. Huber slid brilliantly there. This is Sarah

Reid, 59.14, not short of the time that Huber set on the last run. Here

goes Sarah Reid of Canada. She has set that target. And she has beaten

it. Wow, a good start. She is going to continue the speed through the

top corners. You have got to stay still and bring the speed through to

these technical sections. Three hundredths of a second, now 23

hundredths. Oh! That was a bit sloppy! She went slow high up onto

the roof. She will have to get it back online. The most experienced

sliders can get the perfect line as quickly as possible to get the

speed. She is losing speed at the moment. Crashes into the side. It is

going to be interesting to see what sort of split she gets. 0.4 of a

second, this is really close. It is going down to the line! 100th of a

second, my goodness. That will give Huber confidence, that is for sure.

I have been in races where I have won and lost between one 100th of a

second so I know that feeling. It really proves that every hundredths

accounts. You can lose it in tiny places. That mistake pushed her

really late, got the wrong angle to the next corner. There was almost a

bump, it was a little bit unusual, we did not see it in the loose. --

in the luge. There are long fillets, entrances and exits, designed for

the luge to be able to go on smoothly. It makes it difficult for

the skeleton because they get pushed late. Potylitsina seem to be running

wide but she comes back onto the sled, 0.23 of a second ahead. Will

she slide as well? She was carrying 14 hundredths advantage. She had a

bit of a shocking start in the first one. Potylitsina has obviously

buried her nerves and is getting on with the job here. In the first run

you have a lot of nerves and you want to get it over with, then you

can almost concentrate a bit more. Potylitsina knows this track better

than anyone and is having a beautiful run. 0.38 of a second or

-- ahead, that is wonderful. Into the final couple of corners, over

half a second in the league, this is brilliant. It could spell danger for

Britain, her leg was out wide. But that is unbelievable. The Russian is

going to be so happy with that. She had perfect lines into the uphill

sections, she carried the speed all the way through and that is

unbelievable, that could put her straight up into the medal zone. I

am not sure this track is running any quicker because it is so warm.

She has gone a quarter of a second quicker, if she does a couple more

tomorrow and she could be on the podium. They refrigerate the tracks,

they can turn it up to make it called on certain corners where

there is the sun. There is Lizzy Yarnold warming up in the

background, keeping warm, keeping her muscles hot. Here is another

athlete who is going very well at the moment, Maria Orlova of Russia.

It is all rush at the moment. What sort of a time how she got? It is

quick. -- has she got? The Russians are all power starters, magnificent

from Orlova. She is often the forgotten of the three, Nikitina is

in the civil medal position. But she has the lead ahead of the other

Russians. -- the silver medal position. It is gone, she is behind.

The little clip will have lost her time. She just had to stick her leg

out to change the angle. She is not going badly. She came off that exit

very well indeed. She turns and crashes... You have to get through

corners 12 and 13. 15 hundredths behind. The speed is not brilliant.

Not as good as Potylitsina. Orlova is 0.24 behind. Potylitsina's run

was superb. A solid run, her first Olympic Games, she is at home in

Russia with this pressure, it is still an amazing run. Still really

good. Four athletes to go. She is trying to shift her hips and avoid

the tap but she took a slide and a tap. It is fine to take the tap but

you don't want to skid at the same time. If you hit it parallel you

will keep moving parallel. 58.83 is a very solid time and it gave Katie

Uhlaender fourth-place after her first run. Can she bring anything

back? Can she go into the lead? That is the most important thing. She is

a brilliant start when she is on form. She is a chunky, powerful

starter over 20 metres. That is a good start. She is 15 hundredths up

on Potylitsina. She has lost just a tiny amount. Her load wasn't quite

as quick. The Russian was doing 74.2. A quick start time, not quite

as good. Katie uses her feet a lot. She has always slid that way and it

is how she is comfortable. She is moving and working with her feet,

very solid lines coming through. They certainly are. She is just

going through... That is very close. It looks solid. Still a quarter of a

second up. She is in fourth place so if she goes into the lead, she will

put pressure on the others. Brilliant run by Katie, she took a

one tap that everyone else has been taking but perfect line, straight

ahead, no skids, she will be thrilled. She has collapsed of the

sled, she can go to bed tonight and know she is in a ring strong

position. Her coach was an old skeleton

slider. He slid with me for many years and has now become a coach.

Uhlaender powers away, the stronger woman in skeleton. She has a great

five or ten yards on her. She let Gravity do the work at this track.

She is quite a character. Pica space came into this -- Pikus-Pace came

into this competition not knowing what sort of form she was in. Is

this to be a good start? This is the first of the athletes who will be

pressuring Yarnold for the gold medal. Just three to go, she is not

a brilliant starter but she is so big and powerful. She has such good

aerodynamic form. She could not just go ahead of Uhlaender... She has

gone behind, I would be surprised if you didn't pull it out of the bag.

Lizzie Yarnold and Noelle Pikus-Pace are very similar, big, strong girls.

They just have to have the perfect line to pop them through. Being

bigger, if you take a knock, you will slow down quicker, but so far,

a really good run. She was down at the last checked point. She is still

up, she is accelerating down the last part of the track, this is

dramatic. She brings it back. Her compatriot in second place now.

Noelle Pikus-Pace went well. A quarter of a second through the

final two corners, that is what you are talking about, when you have the

extra momentum, the slower athletes are slowing down, she flies through

the air brilliantly, she gets the fastest top speed we have seen so

far. These long tracks suit her, she can keep the speed going, and I am

thrilled for her, she has had such a journey, so many crushes, she had

her legs mashed up, and she has come back, she took years off.

The Russian is the only athlete in the frame at the moment who is

developing at the start and with the pace of Lizzie Yarnold. Lizzie

Yarnold goes last, this is the Russian. What sort of a start has

she got? She is the start record holder. She was more .06 quicker

than Lizzie Yarnold, she has pulled it out at these Olympics. She is on

fire at the moment. We have seen quicker through the first couple of

corners, though. She loaded well, but she took quite a big skid at the

top. That will take away time. She has got a bit of time to bleed away

if she makes a mistake, but you want everything. Coming into this, she

had 0.2 on Noelle Pikus-Pace, but she is losing it.

The American's time is being beaten by the Russian, just. She has lost

it, my goodness. Noelle Pikus-Pace is in the lead, with one athlete to

go. Lizzie Donald of great written. What happened? The time is up rate

it. The skid at the top, just when you want to be keeping calm, that

would have lost the speed she needed for the middle section. She knows

the track well, but she did not quite have enough to take her

through the last corners. She just went over by a yard. You have got to

explode and get into the Zen like state and relax. Come on, Lizzie

Yarnold! One athlete to go, the aim, another track record. A former

athlete, the perfect driving position, and she goes. Will she

break the track record? Not quite, but you can see the advantage she

has over Noelle Pikus-Pace. She had 0.25 seconds, but she annihilated

the American's start. This a big margin. Absolutely perfect lines, no

skits, she is keeping so still, strong, aerodynamic, they do a lot

of work in wind tunnels, perfecting the position, so far, this is

unbelievable. The best run we have seen so far. That is brilliant. As

long as she does not take a big hit. A little tap, she might lose a queue

fractions, but no more than a 10th of a second. Wow! That is just

outside the track record. That is brilliant. Amazing, I could not be

happier. I have been nervous all morning, waiting for this. For her

to be leading by such a margin at the end of the first day... Her

coach has done a great job, working on the power at the start. I

remember Amy Williams being in the lead every step of the way! She is

brilliant. That is her family there, her mum and sisters,

everybody has, over. I feel like I am watching myself, the same thing

as me, the same story. You can see the ice getting kicked

up, she chose to take the tap, that was sensible. Yes, but she took the

tap and kept in that position, no skits, she had the perfect line into

the corner. What excitement we have had this

morning. What about Lizzie Yarnold? Shelley

Rudman is in 12th place, 11th place, rather. She moved up one

place. Let's talk about this, Amy, more .4

seconds, has significant is that advantage? It is huge. Normally,

people are hundreds of a second between each other. To have 0.44

seconds, she has more runs, it is going to be very close, you can see

how close everybody is, but that will give her so much confidence. I

hope she does not get freaked out, she just has to be consistent, and

she always is. She has had the most beautiful runs to watch, it is a joy

to watch her. I am like a bag of nerves down here! She is your logic,

you have been involved in the build-up, obviously, but have you

been saying to her, what will you say I had off tomorrow? It is funny,

it is like watching me four years ago, through the eyes of her. I was

up by over half a second in between the days, I spoke to her yesterday,

and I told her, keep calm, keep confident, you have got to be

consistent. Do not study all of the facts and figures, the coaches will

study all of the areas, but she had the best line, and if she can just

keep that, go into the final day, get a good sleep, she will come out

here and perform, and there is no reason why she cannot win the gold

medal. On that positive note, we will leave it there. The final runs

are tomorrow afternoon. It is a nervous rate -- a nervous wait.

Lizzie Yarnold on her sledge, named Mervyn, named after a colleague who

helped finance her equipment in her early days, because she only took up

the sport in 2010. It is looking good so far. There is so much to

keep across here, whilst you have been getting yourself ready for work

and everything else, we have been following the qualification system

of the men's slopestyle, and we are building up to the final. So many

questions to be answered, will James Woods be able to ride through the

pain barrier? Will he get onto the podium? And how about Henrik

Harlaut, we -- will he find a belt? All will be revealed, probably!

Snowboarding, slopestyle, it is a blank canvas, the idea is to express

the best you can do. Everybody gets along, everybody is good mates, as

well as being competitive, because you have got to be capacity to get

there. Being creative is massive, everybody has got the same course

and features to use, the same drawing board, and there are no

rules. Nobody is saying, you cannot do this or that. It is all about

individuality. You have a game plan, you are nervous, because everybody

is nervous. It is how you deal with it. Everybody will be throwing down

the best of the best. It will be a good show.

Your way of getting down the slope. Basically, showing off to the best

of our ability! He is known as one of the Fridge

Kids, because he learn to skate not on snow, but on indoor snow domes

and on artificial slopes, but at the foot of that Extreme Park run, how

much has James Woods got left? He damaged his hip attempting the

triple, he has got a bruised hip socket, and while the pain is not

that bad, and he made a slight mistake, the big question is whether

he will been the triple necessary to get onto the podium. He put down a

very strong technical run, just like Jenny Jones on Sunday. The judges

have rewarded that will stop whether he goes for a triple will be the big

question. Now, his confidence and self belief are the key factors that

are working for him. Who has impressed you most so far? The

American, lovely, very relaxed, he had some really nice lines. Nick

Goepper, a lot of people speculated he was playing mind games yesterday,

hyping up his performance, being very vocal, he has got a chance. But

you got the impression that, having put so much of himself out there, he

got nervous. Whether he has settled his nerves, I do not know. What

about Henrik Harlaut and his pants? He has got the right attitude for

this contest, he is an incredibly technical skier, but he is very

loose at the moment. Even by our standards, those are an extremely

baggy set of pants. Let's go to Tim Warwood in the commentary position,

this is a big moment for all of the slopestyle skiers and four James

Woods. While we wait for Ed Leigh to get

back into the commentary booth, we will talk you through the start

list. The first run of two. They run in reverse order from that which

they qualified in. Third from last, it is James Woods.

Andreas Hatveit I'd, and then the American. It will be the best run

that counts. In with me and Ed Leigh, we have the British halfpipe

free skier, Murray Buchan. Hello. How impressed I you with James Woods

and the maturity he has shown? It is very impressive, he had a tough

injury, he has had to get through it to compete, and he has landed a run

in qualifying. He put one down, and he is in a really good position. He

has probably shown a bit of maturity to pull out of the run, rather than

go for broke. He had done enough on the first run, so he did not want to

make it any worse, he wanted to make sure he was fine for the finals. One

of the things I have been most impressed with is the way he has

dealt with the pressure and expectation. From the start, Team

GB, the snow athletes, have put him out there as the medal hope.

Jenny's performance on Sunday has taken a bit of the pressure off.

Hips are difficult, such a powerful part of the body, usually they are

protected by muscle, but it is giving him a couple of problems. He

played it down between the runs. Bobby Brown cemented his reputation

as the choker, almost, in the first run. And a T-shirt. It shows how

warm it actually is. -- he is just in a T-shirt. He has got a clean

course. He will not be skiing through anybody else's bomb holes.

He really left his hand on there. Deep into the landing.

Whoever prepared his skis has put greased lightning on. That looked

brutal. He is not moving yet. He is up now. Maybe the disappointment

held him down rather than the pain. The top of the run was so good.

Switch on, 278, switch on to the rail. He went massive of the goal.

His run in general was pretty big. Grabbing the tale of his ski. He

missed the grab. That is what threw him a bit. He seemed to explode in

the landing. Like something had pained him and he just wanted to get

off his feet. It really jilted him. That is a big crash site. Henrik

Harlaut, undoubtedly making headlines around the world tomorrow

for his inimitable pants style. You can see how soft it is.

He came off the rail a little early. The judges looking for any mistake.

Triple cork 12! That was insane! What have we just

witnessed? From zero to hero. That run could be out. He landed as flat

as you can go. The nose but is when you use the tips or the tale of the

skis. Almost like a knife to spread butter.

We need to go back to that first jump. I don't think we are going to

get another look on that -- at that. I would love to see the replay. That

was very strong. We do not have control of the replays. I think it

again we are seeing that it is not quite as clean as the judges wanted.

There were a couple of little landings. Yes, he got penalised on

the first rail. Josiah Wells. One of the most experienced competitors.

Numerous ex-games medals to his credit. -- X Games.

He is putting extra spins on and off the rails. That is where the riders

will pick up extra points. You saw his ski flex when he grabbed

it. That is when you know you have got a good solid hold. Who will be a

bit disappointed. I think the landing here sucks him

up. He was tracking of to the right. He had to carve back to the left

quite hard to actually make it back onto his line. That grab was nice.

It is not going to be superhigh. He is going to have to pull it out for

a run number two. The best of two runs. Aleksander Aurdal. A difficult

first run. Pulled it out of the bag with the second.

Untidy but he did survive the first rail. He got the second rail nice

and clean. A lot of switch work. Switch means backwards.

A Switch double Misty 12. Switch, he comes in backwards. ? he got to

corkscrews. 1260, three .5 spins. -- double Misty, he got two corkscrews.

Slopestyle is all about flow. You have to land your jump and go

straight into your next. You have to look like you are in control and

flowing through the course. Any time you learned backwards or forwards,

it keeps the spin going. You do a 180 on the ground and it is not good

with the judges. Second place for Aleksander Aurdal. Oystein Braaten,

whose brother was in the snowboard slopestyle on Saturday. He didn't

have a great run. He missed out on the medals. Can the younger brother

make amends? 450 on, for 50 off. -- 450.

He has put it down. Was that a Switch 14? I think it was. Yes. The

celebration gives it away. So technical on the top section. That

can hurt him a little bit. He used the knuckle of that little down

section to bounce 180. Somewhat creative and different. That was the

left 1260 with the tail grab. Spot the landing over the shoulder and

then commits. Switch 1440. Big trick. The head really dipping in

both corkscrews. It is a question of what the judges think about the top

rail. Not the top rail, Surrey, the second rail. -- sorry. He has been

punished. The judging criteria is open for discussion. Some people

have speculated they are looking for a style. That suddenly becomes very

subjective. Everyone likes different things. You cannot argue about

execution or landings. But style is incredibly subjective. Difficult to

see. Russell Henshaw, one of the most popular free skiers. He has

been a pioneer in terms of tricks over the last six years. I think he

got a good bit of contact with the poll there. No danger of speed here.

He has got plenty of it. Double 12. That's new. We have not

seen that before. The Australians already beginning to celebrate.

Imagine spreading butter on your post with a knife. You use the tip

of your knife to smear it around, and that is exactly what you are

doing with your skis. You get your weight onto the slope of the skis

and you slide around. You put a 180 and before you get any air. You

leave it until the last minute. You have to be stumped up on courage for

that one. Not an easy one to get into. The only penalty that you

could impose there is on the grab. It is enough to go into second

place. Henshaw currently in silver medal position. We have had six

skiers down, six remaining. Alex Boley and Marshall -- Alex Bolo

Marchant. I was actually going to say he is only going for a 270. From

here the camera angle was a bit dodgy. It looked like he was coming

across. That was nice. I don't know if he meant that! He is getting very

lives here. That is a shame, he had a really good run on the jumps in

the second round of colour -- qualification. That gives you an

idea just how big landings are. Relatively simple. 270 on. Just

slipped out. He hit the goal really hard with both skis. I don't know if

he did mean that. It keeps him of centre. I think he did. Oh, well. I

would have maybe giving him higher than five. Gus Kenworthy, second at

X Games will stop just behind Nicholas Goepper. He had a beautiful

running qualifying. Very smooth. You can feel the confidence. Super

technical. Kills a bit of speed on his way.

That was a blur of skis unfolds. Rationing through the rotation. --

rattling. Switch triple. There it is! He couldn't hold it. You have

got to say, with a switch 16 and a switch triple, you are looking at

first place, surely? Unbelievable. Taking off backwards, four

rotations. The first kicker... Forward 16, switch double ten. Four

and a half spins. Right to the end of the rail. Perfect landing.

Perfect take-off. That was very technical. Four and a half. My

goodness. Wow. They are really stepping it up. We always knew it

was going to go this way. There is the switch ten and the switch

triple. He has his left arm under his knee, holding on tight, trying

to keep the body compact and keeping me spin going. I would like to see

him put that down. The moment you let your body open out, you kill the

rotation. It is the old adage that because they are judging on overall

impression, you make a mistake and it damages all of the score, not

just that single trip. Nick Goepper. He opts to ski without

poles. In the free skiing community, it is slightly frowned upon for stop

everyone has their opinions. I think he had a problem with his hand or

wrist so it has been difficult for him to carry poles so he is sticking

with what he knows. Whatever he is doing, it is working. You can still

hear the barrel reverberating. Flawless rail run. What has he got

on the jumps? He only tweeted yesterday his training day was the

best day ever, in his words. He opened up early on that. Really

early. Is this the triple? Yes! Oh, my goodness. He never looked out of

control with that. He was not forcing that triple. As he came into

the last 360, 270, well on top of it. He knew exactly where he was

throughout the whole thing. Once all the sake -- one small mistake in the

second kicker. The rails Majestic. 450 out. One and a half rotations of

the rail. Gus Kenworthy is more tech on that. He did not put it down and

that is what is most important, but if he can, it is more technical.

Look at that! Double grab. I have not seen him do that before. This is

going to be huge. I take it back. It was not out of control. Two double

ramps on that. -- grabs. That has to be first place. You called it

Murray. No arguments. He did not give the judges one excuse. There

was not a single flaw in that run. Like Cindy -- like Cindy Crawford's

skin. Look how bombed out that is on the landing. James Woods of Great

Britain dropping in for the men's slopestyle final first-run.

Qualified in third place. He has the luxury of having seen nine of the

finalists go before him. Carrying the slight hip injury but it did not

affect his qualifying. Still Road really well. Woodsy one of the more

technical riders, the only one we have seen fit the kink rail. Flat

down with a 450 out. Perfect. Perfect rail section. Using the

butter box and nice through the canon. Sat down slightly but not too

bad. The right side 12. Look at the grab. He did not even land it. The

earth came up to meet him! My goodness. Beautiful run from James

Woods. One sit down on the first kicker. It was the first kicker. But

this is gorgeous. The rail section is a masterclass. One thing we have

seen from the judges, they are rewarding the rail section as highly

as the jumps. It is about being flawless through the section.

Amazing shot. Of the canon as well. Talk us through this, Murray. Left

double cork 1080. The judges will not come back a little bit but he

went huge so that is why he had to open out. Look at the tweak! Using

all of the leverage of the skis. He is grabbing the nose of one and tail

of the other and yanking his knees as to try and dislocate them. Looks

like here's a human bulldog clip. Great score. Silver medal position

for James Woods. Only two skiers left to drop on this first run. Team

GB enjoying themselves today. Once again, the slopestyle delivering.

Andreas Hatveit, 27 from Norway, one of the elder statesman of the free

skiing world. 450 on, 270 off. Right into the bomb whole landing. Gets

through it OK. Really nice on the rails. 450 of the second rail. Tap

on the Russian doll. A little butter on the take-off. Very stylish. Big

1260. Three and a half rotations. This is beautiful. Like an

ambassador's hospitality, very smooth at the moment. So, I would

not know how to call this. Really uncertain. It was immaculate. But

not... It was technical, but not in the range that we saw from Nick

Goepper. Again, we have talked about the range finding runs and Andreas

Hatveit is one of those riders who potentially can lay a run like this

down really cleanly and say, let us see where this one has got me. Next

time, I will switch up one or two of the tricks. That is experience for

you. One of the older riders. Switch double cork 180 with the double

grab. Two hands, one hand on each ski. Sometimes on the same ski.

Switch, taking off backwards. Then the rotation. 1080 is to re-spins.

-- is three spins. Always smiling. Taking a bit of time with this.

Well, Murray called it. He was giving it a second place in the

booth here under his breath. Second place. Nick Goepper is still in

gold. Andreas Hatveit in silver. James Woods in bronze. One rider

left to drop. First-place qualifier, Joss Christensen. An

unknown quantity coming in. First-place, well-deserved. Yes. A

bit of an outside shout. Using the double angle of the skis to lock the

rails in. That was nice. Pretzel out of that. Spins in one way and out

the other. Smooth through the third element. He linked all of the

sections together. Double cork 12. Finished the rotation dutifully with

a metre or two to spare. Did not look likely had stalled it. Seems to

have so much time in the air. Oh, my goodness. Where is this going? That

was very tidy. If you are looking for a weak spot, maybe the rails at

the top, not quite as technical as we saw from Nick Goepper, Andreas

Hatveit or James Woods. His legs straight, looking for it. He is 270

on and then coming off the opposite way. He is using the skis to such

good effect on the rails. Angling them in opposite directions. He

locks them onto the rail. Spots the landing. 1260. Coming in for the

Switch 1080 which we saw on the last jump of collocation runs. With the

benefit of hindsight, that landing was not as brutal as it looked. The

triple. Wow. Triple 1260 with the safety grab. This really is computer

game stuff now. Triangle, square, square, down. Can Joss Christensen

up Nick Goepper? Yes, he can. After the first run, Joss Christensen

maintains the status quo. He has first place. Nick Goepper, 92.4.

Both of them with triples. Then Andreas Hatveit. James Woods with

86.6. Then Henrik Harlaut rounding out the top five with 83.8. Russell

Henshaw pushed down to sixth after Joss Christensen's run. Fantastic

first run there. Hopefully Woodsy has somewhere to go for the second

run. HAZEL IRVINE: Fantastic tricks from

the men's slopes ski style. We will stay with this. I just want to point

out the fact there is so much other action going on around Sochi. Live

right now on the red button, short track speed skating. Elise Christie

and Charlotte Gilmartin are about to go in the quarterfinals of the

women's 500m. We will bring that to you a little later on BBC Two. We

will stay with the ski slopestyle final. Second run coming up. What do

you make of the quality of what we have seen so far? It has been

absolutely phenomenal. I did not think Nick Goepper was going to step

it up quite that far on the first run. Henrik Harlaut, James Woods,

Andreas Hatveit, Nick Goepper, Joss Christensen, they are all in with a

chance of a medal. This is still wide open. It is. Murray, I know you

know James Woods very well. From what you know of his bag of tricks,

what more might he have in his bag and what might he need to produce in

this final run to get on the medal podium? I think he will be thinking

about the triple. He will have a serious think about it. I know it

was something he struggled with in training. He will be looking to

clean up the top couple of jumps. I think he can do it. He has struggled

a little bit in practice with injury. But if anyone can, it is

Woodsy. Absolutely. So much expectation on this young man. What

composure he has shown to perform, despite this injury we know he has

been struggling with since last Friday. I know. The composure is

incredible. That is something that I am so impressed with with all of

these guys. Coming to the Olympics, putting on your country's jersey,

certainly when I was a pro snowboarder, my granny thought I was

a pro snowball. She had no idea. Woodsy has all of his friends and

family watching. He has managed to stay level-headed enough to put this

rundown. -- run down. We are moments away from the second run and he will

have a good look at what everyone else is doing. He is going to be

third last so he will have a clear idea of what he might need to

produce. Here we go. Over to you three once more.

Bobby Brown is going to go first in the second run again. He had a

disastrous qualifier and managed to salvage it with his second run but

he started the finals in exactly the same way. Had a less than glorious

first run. Hopefully, he can bury his reputation. Certainly, a few

people think he cannot handle the pressure of the big contest. You

have only got to go online and Google Bobby Brown. You might find a

different Bobby Brown! You will find some of the most amazing videos and

some of the craziest tricks. But it comes back to his nerves. A lot of

people say his nerves are made of tissue paper because he cannot seem

to hold it together on the big stage. I cannot see anybody outside

the top six threatening the podium. Certainly Henrik Harlaut, if he can

tidy up is run, could have a look at the podium. We really only looking

at Goepper, Joss Christensen for the gold? I don't think so. Gus

Kenworthy, Josh Wells... It could be anybody's contest. Is the gold a

realistic prospect for Woodsy? Think so, yes. His top two jumps are so

good. If he does them the best he can, he is in with a real child. --

a real shed. We saw Jamie Nicholls do the run of his life the snowboard

slopestyle. Because none of them any better to get his place in the

final. Woodsy needs the run of his life right here, right now. His

big-game experience has given him the confidence at this level. He is

not the token Brit. He is not an impostor. He is the real deal. We're

not talking about somebody chanting their arm. Woodsy has the pedigree.

He's the Lewis Hamilton of free skiing. But way better looking.

Bobby Brown going to run first. A little bit of course maintenance

between the two runs. Temperatures soaring now that the sun is high in

the sky. Almost at 12 Celsius. The wind has come up, locally. These are

the flags on top of the stadium. They are showing you that it is a

tailwind. If anything, a crosswind is quite dangerous for the riders.

But a tailwind will actually help them over the jumps. If any of them

are going really big, they could go really, really big. We so Woodsy and

Henrik Harlaut goal way deep into that landing. -- doorway deep. These

glorious mountains that oversee the courses down here at the Rosa Khutor

Extreme Park. Saatchi definitely a place worth visiting. If you want to

look further afield than the Alps. Right now it is the men's slopestyle

final. The second run is lining up. Bobby Brown, Gus Kenworthy and

Josiah Wells are all capable of moving on the podium. Russell

Henshaw in sixth. Henrik Harlaut. And, of course, Woodsy. Six skiers

outside the medal position to could make life very difficult for the

leaders. Bobby Brown to drop first. A lot to prove. Fairly standard. All

of the spin is going the same way. He played safe. We have seen

execution dominating the headlines from the judges. I don't think it is

going to be a good review for a Bobby Brown. I find that quite

strange because he did a triple on his first round. Unless he just did

not feel like it was worth it. Going for the double grab. Getting a

right hold on the right-hand ski. Just seems to drop out of the sky.

You look at this, and they are eight or nine metres up on those figures.

I think the tailwind is playing a part. Bobby Brown were not better at

seven. That will not better seven. Worth keeping your eye on the second

jump to see if we are seeing that nose butter 1260 treble. The nose

butter is like using the skis as a butter knife to butter toast.

Oh, my goodness! Henrik Harlaut is laying a huge market down for the

gold. The marker may cost him a little bit. What a run. That was

absolutely phenomenal. Triple 16, going upside down three times and

spinning around 4.5. Imagine how many G-force as the octopus on his

helmet was put under then? ! If you have got to pick that apart, you

would say the landing on the final jump. He has got a switch right,

switch left and a forward cork. The only single part... Nick Goepper's

run was immaculate. He had a triple and there was not a mistake. Henrik

Harlaut has given them an excuse with the landing on the third job. I

am going for 93. 90. I'm going to sit on the fence. I think you are a

wise man. So difficult to predict, the judging criteria.

Must've been the last landing that cost him. That is such a wrath

punishment on that level when you see such a technical trick landed so

perfectly. Josiah Wells wondering what you have to do to impress those

judges. He should just come down and give them all presents!

He only just got through the double kink without giving up.

He is having to improvise. His run has gone completely out the window.

Such a disappointment. Such a talented skier.

Josiah Wells still has the pipe left. His Olympics is not over. But

I think he really would have hoped to have challenged more for a place

on the podium with his second run. Who will be frustrated with that. As

anybody would. This is the view looking down. If anybody out there

can ski, you will appreciate the difficulty on show there. You take

off going backwards and you land going backwards. 30 seconds or you

cannot see anything apart from where you have just come from!

Switch misty 12. Throwing himself forwards into the spin and the

flips. Almost a front flip. A slight delay where you take off the jump.

When you look at these rails, the skis are actually blunted below the

ski boots, so their sharp edges cannot catch on the rails. They keep

them nice and sharp on the tips. You have got some grip on landing.

Underneath the boots, you have to blunt them. He got the grab really

clean. He almost took off headfirst into the rotation. A really clean

landing. Yes, barely moved. Two perfect ski tracks in the soft snow.

James Woods currently in fourth. Joss Christensen in first. Oystein

Braaten. Easily the most technical skier we have seen on the rail

element. The question now is whether he can complement that with three

big technical jumps. He missed the rail. He had gone to

Spain onto it and he got his angled wrong. -- to Spain onto it.

It is like his skis have got vacuum cleaners on them the way they are

stocks -- sucking down onto the snow. The mistake in the rail is

almost certainly going to cost Oystein Braaten. Was just thinking

how amazing it has been. The men's and women's snowboard and ski

slopestyle has just been an amazing addition to the Olympics. You cannot

deny, Murray, in free skiing, this is -- the level of progression has

been phenomenal? Yes, it has gone massive. It has been so fast. Every

contest you will see new tricks. They will progress to the next week

of competition. It is crazy. Still a relatively young sport. That is why

began got so many contenders for the medals. You only need to go away and

work in one trick. Ninth position. You only need to work on one new

trick and then you can push yourself up the rankings. We saw Woodsy have

the incredible run of form through 2012-2013 and then he dropped off a

little bit. Could be at the moment that he is pushing at the right

time. Russell Henshaw, 23, been around for so long in the world of

free skiing. There are not many big event titles he does not have. You

might see a nose butter triple from him as well. He has been thinking

about it. It is just whether he wants to do it or not. Do you think,

I am at the Olympics, I am not super solid but I will give it a go? I

think he is fairly solid. Not as big as the other guys but he put it down

cleanly. Switch 99 there. There you go. Left triple. When you are in a

triple like that, you do not see the landing until too late. He did not

realise how close he was to the snow until he hit it. He has set himself

some high standards and you could almost see the disappointment in his

body language as he walked back to his skis. That is not as clean as

what we have seen from him on the hitching post. He missed the Russian

doll as well. Talking about progression, he has unleashed a

brand-new trip right there in this event. We want to see the replay.

Did he put the nose butter on this? A little bit. It is just not quite

as efficient as others. Modern-day gladiators. Russell Henshaw, 28.8.

The first run will count and that is only good enough for seven. I say

only because he would have said such high standards for himself. Alex

Beaulieu-Marchand, the Canadian. Just 19 years old. He has come in as

an underdog but he has made a good account of himself. Tidy out of the

first rail. Nice. Pretzel out of that rail. Going against the

inertia. 540 off the Russian doll. Spotted that landing beautifully. I

was holding my breath. I thought he had come down with loads of time to

spare. He drifted into the last 180 degrees so lazily. He was looking

so, so good. The snow just a little bit too soft. He could not get a

grip he wanted. The skis sank away from him. Well, we saw the men's

slopestyle snowboard final peppered with Canadians. But just be one

Canadian mail here. I do not want to get anyone to excited too early, but

it is only Gus Kenworthy to drop below James Woods at this stage. We

know he is one of the most talented skiers out here, Gus Kenworthy. It

means the worst position James Woods would get is fifth. That would be an

incredible achievement. It would. But he still has one run left to go.

We will wait for the score for Alex Beaulieu-Marchand. 12th place for

him. Gus Kenworthy, this run was so beautiful up to the last kick. How

much pressure would he be under now? A huge amount. Absolutely massive.

What will his coach be saying? Enjoy it. Yeah, enjoy it. None of the guys

have ridden at this level before. You might have a TV audience of a

million would be streaming. Suddenly they are in front of 2 billion

people at the Olympics. -- with the streaming. So smooth. Surgical.

Absolutely surgical. Hands felt crowed to his side. That is one of

the hardest and most technical trick we have seen over the curved box.

Immaculate. Absolutely ridiculous from him. He just needs to hold it

together. Double cork ten. Coming in backwards for the triple 14. He is

good. My goodness. My goodness, that was ridiculous. That was absolutely

insane. Gus Kenworthy knows it. Look at him! He had no business landing

that. 1620 and then switch 1440. That was incredible. Absolutely

incredible. If he cannot get an endorsement deal with some kind of

tumbled dryer after this run, I do not know what he can get. That is

ridiculous! Murray, talk us through these jumps. 450 into that. Just

enjoy that. Wow. Glorious slow motion. Double 12. Sorry, double 16.

So composed. Look at the way he has tweaked it. Puts it down as though

he has just done 180. To be so composed in such big spins, you need

to be so strong to hold onto it. The head comes down as you see the

landing appear. Just goes to show how difficult it is. He has both

arms and his legs to keep his body topped up to keep the spin and flip

going round. Gus Kenworthy, currently sat in 11th. He is going

up the table. The question is just how far. I think it is all the way

to the top. Could potentially be America one, two, three. It could

be. Joss Christensen and Nicholas Goepper currently occupying old and

silver. Could we see the podium block out? -- gold and silver. This

has got to be goals. He goes into second behind Joss Christensen. The

size and technicality of those jumps along with the execution... They

have good reason to cheer. Joss Christensen from America, Gran

Kenworthy from America and Nicholas Goepper from America all occupying

medal positions -- Gus Kenworthy. You have got to say as well, Woodsy

guaranteed first place. The pressure is almost off a little bit. Here we

go. Next skier to drop, Nick Goepper. No poles. Woodsy made an

interesting comment about this. If you ski with poles and you drop one,

you do is qualified. Is that true? If you ski without poles, you're not

as qualified, obviously. Is that true, Murray? I am not sure. I was

under the impression you had to finish with three bits of equipment.

You could drop one, but if you drop two, game over. Gave that a bash.

Reverberating. Getting so busy on the rails. That was quite nasty.

There was not any sliding going on. Did not actually hook up. But

working so hard. He made the rails work for him. What has he got on the

kickers? Big nine. Double backflip. Cheeky. He knows he is not improving

and third place. After his second jump, he messed up a bit and gave a

bit of a crowd-pleaser on the last one. To be that... I suppose you

know how sensitively the judges are marking these runs. Look how much he

gets on that hitching post, the barrel. Is it a right old smash. --

gives it. He is on to the rail and pretzels back. Changing his rotation

background to the other way which is quite a task in itself. He has got

to use the skis to stop the momentum and generate the rotation back the

other way. He missed the grab. That is exactly

what you said, Murray. He knew the score was gone so we got treated to

the double backflip. There is not one person who saw the trick that

does not want to be able to do it. I would pay good money to be his

rucksack. Imagine if you could climb on his back and join in for that.

How much fun would that be? Until the landing, that would be great. He

has got a smile on his face. Nick Goepper will be watching the next

run very, very closely. We have both James Woods and Andreas Hatveit

below him still to run. The only two men who can push out the Americans

from what is at the moment the USA lock-out on the podium. Woodsy needs

92.4 or better for a place on the podium. Come on, Woodsy. The whole

of the UK right now is holding their breath. He gives him the nod. He has

worked so hard with Woodsy of the last four years, has Pat. Just

brings him in. A quick hug. He is probably so proud. Just to have got

to this point. He would be enormously happy. But Woodsy... 450

down the bar. Again, really solid through this rail section. 270 on,

pretzel off. He is going to be feeling good through this run.

Lovely. Confidence will be brimming at this point. Rail section done and

tidy. Just sat down again there. It is going to be difficult to improve

on this score. Unless we see a triple hear. No. Well, you have got

to give him a round of applause. I think Nick Goepper just applauding

probably knows that his medal is safe at least for this run. So close

for Woodsy. The rail section was immaculate. Nothing you can fault

here. So, so solid. But... The grab through there, the first kicker, the

landing, just sits back a little bit. He goes really big. Pulls up

pretty quickly. Double grab there. You can just hear the man over the

PA saying, if you have not got the trouble, you will not bust into the

90s. He skis are almost parallel on the last jump. Going the wrong way.

That is ridiculous. Woodsy blowing a kiss to the crowd. Look at him. He

is saying congratulations. 78.4. I did not think it was quite that low.

86.6, his first round score, that is good enough for fifth. Considering

how hard he has had to work after a painful hip injury, he will be very

pleased with that result. Yes, he has done exceptionally well. Andreas

Hatveit back-up at the top. Currently in fourth. The only man

capable of ruining the American party on the podium.

50 on, 270. He dropped in. You said he is a happy dude. We have seen

smiles at the top and the bottom of this course. In the summer, when he

has not got snow in his back garden, he has a dry slope and he invites

everyone round. He likes the dry slopes as well. That is a man who

loves his sport. Let us see if he can... Safe double 12 there. Switch

14 to finish. He used the full flux of the dips to hold himself on.

Switch tend to finish, excuse me. -- switch ten. It will not be enough. I

don't think so. It is really difficult. It is the Americans who

have led the way in the triple cork revolution today. Everyone who has

landed a triple cleanly, I think apart from Henrik Harlaut, is on the

podium. He was judged very harshly, in my opinion, , with 84.4. He is in

sixth place. It might be worth having another look at that in a

little bit. It looks like a USA one, two, three and a victory lap. That

is a very impressive feat by the American to have used only one run

in the final. Is he going to use it to showcases best run? You have got

to, haven't you? Is either that or backflips. Out of everybody that

Team GB has entered in the slopestyle so far, only one has not

made the top ten. That is a phenomenal achievement. Aimee Fuller

just outside the top ten. No pressure going into the halfpipe

finals in a couple of days. Sorry, I apologise. Dom Harington and Belgian

Kilner. -- Ben Kilner. Fourth. It locks into the existing fourth

position. Just 0.6 behind Nick grabber. The Americans have done it.

It is the USA lock-out on the podium. Joss Christensen, Gus

Kenworthy and Nicholas grabber. -- Nicholas Goepper. That podium will

not change. Joss Christensen with a lap of honour. The USA the

powerhouse, really. All four of their skiers making it through to

the final. Shows how strong the US team is. For someone to squeeze into

the last spot to go to the Olympics and then end up taking gold.

What an incredible finish to a quite spectacular day of Freestyle Skiing!

The first-ever men's Olympic slopestyle contest. Huge run from

Joss Christensen. Considering that he did not actually have to do that.

I think that has got to be an improvement. I think it probably

will be. Good on him as well for doing the run. I think he has

bettered his run. Just cemented his gold medal really. He will be on a

nondescript cereal packet. He has every right to spend some of his

winnings on an enormous sound system that he can install somewhere in

America in a snow park, use the microphone to tell everybody how

much better he is. He is not going to do it. He is one of the most

respected skiers in the game. That is your podium. The first ever free

ski slopestyle Olympic contest. It has been an American one, two,

three. Andreas Haatveit old of Norway just missing out, in fourth.

James Woods in fifth. How much of a part of the hip injury he sustained

last Friday played a part in that, we will not know until we speak to

him. Still, a fantastic achievement for him. Confirmation of the result.

That was the first Freestyle Skiing title not won by Canada here in

Sochi. It is the USA's bail. We talked about the possibility of a

one, two, three. And that is how it has transpired. The poster boy of

the Great Britain Olympic team has come good today. Fifth place for

James Woods. He has not disappointed us today. I think we can hear from

him now. Woodsy, you must be happy with fifth

place, particularly with the injury? Yes, for sure. Incredibly proud to

be here. It is a little disappointing when you can't perform

your best. I have to be honest, I'm incredibly proud to be here in

Sochi. It is immense. It is the Olympics. And Joss Christensen is

the nicest guy on the face of the earth, so I couldn't be more happy

for anybody else. The three Americans through big jumps. You did

not have it in your Arsenal. Was that what you were working on when

you hurt yourself? Yes, I can do triples. I have got to be, you know,

the world stage. I have shown everyone what I can do. It would've

been lovely to bring some hardware back to the UK. That is the idea.

But thanks for the from everyone. Fifth in the Olympics with four my

best mate in for the bin. For a kid from Sheffield dry slopes, that is

not too bad, is it? I suppose it is not. Where can the event go from

here? Free skiing, snowboarding? Fantastic. I hope people see it and

enjoy it. That is all we do. We never thought to make the Olympics.

I think we got good reviews. They wanted to see us in. We all love

what we are doing. I just want to see more people who truly love being

on the skis and being honest awards. The more of that, the better. We all

love what you do as well and we are incredibly proud. Thank you very

much, Woodsy. Thank you. It has been great performing in front of

everyone. Yet, cheers. Enjoy. Go look at some more free skiing and

snowboarding. It is good! He has been a credit to himself and

a credit to Great Britain. Fantastic effort from James Woods today. As he

says, fantastic effort for a kid from Sheffield dry slope. We have

been talking about some of the artificial facilities available in

Great Britain. That is where a lot of the Great Britain team learned to

love winter sport. A lot of them headed to the Scottish Highlands as

well. Some fantastic facilities. I was checking out the website

yesterday. Several places have amazing amounts of snow right now

just in case you fancy strapping on the skis and getting up there. Get

involved in this sport any where you can.

If you think the British skiers and snowboarders in Sochi grew up on

fresh Alpine Para, you would be wrong. Almost all of them started

somewhere like this. No mountains here, no snow, even. This is Halifax

ski and snowboard Centre. Jamie Nicholls gruel riding here. It is

typical of many of the dry ski slopes around the UK. -- Jamie

Nicholls grew up riding here. I learned to ski in Edinburgh, one of

the largest dry ski slopes in the country. It is probably as cold and

windy as this one. It has been about six years since I have been on a dry

slope. I will give it a go. It doesn't run quite as fast as snow

and if there was a bit quicker when it is pouring with rain. There are

two types of dry slopes. There is Bendix, which is faster. And

snowflakes, which is better for freestyle. -- snowflakes. If dry

slopes seemed tired and dated, then this feels entirely different. 20

miles down the road, this is Castleford, one of six indoor snow

centres in the UK. Real snow, no-win, no-fee on.

The indoor snow domes are fantastic. What a creation. We are standing

here with the ultimate setup in learning to ski and snowboard. Even

for us, we can come here and progress. I didn't believe you could

get to such a high level where you could compete with some of the best.

You can learn the basics of jumping. Up to very high standard. This place

is very busy for a Friday night. There is a real mixture between

skiers and snowboarders. Different standards and different ages. One

kid will try something, another kid will copy that. They are all pushing

each other and improving together. I was ripping double corks on a dry

slope, which is unbelievable. The new generation are going to blow

people's mines, for sure. There are loads of camps cropping up for

people who have never been on a slope before. It takes you right

through from the very first time and progress you to potentially getting

on the junior team are joining the development squad. The fact that

snowboarding has gone into the Olympics, it is a case of, all

right, we can do this in the UK now? Absolutely. These guys have shown it

is possible. They have come from dry slopes. It is paving the way for

what can be achieved. It would be great to see more kids coming

through. What a debut it has been for a the

snowboard events here in Sochi. Get inspired and take up this amazing

sport. One of the more traditional sports, which first made its debut

in 1928, is bob skeleton. It has featured five times since. Every

single time Great Britain has won a medal. We can be considered a world

power. Certainly looking like that today after the first couple of runs

of the women's. Lizzy Yarnold has an advantage over the field. And

Shelley Rudman is 11. The deciding to runs take place tomorrow

afternoon. The two girls have been speaking to Matthew Pinsent.

How was your morning's worked? Not too bad. A little bit off my lines

on the first run. I think it was prerace nerves. On the second I was

really happy. I corrected a huge mirror -- error that I made a first

run. To correct it, really happy. Have you got things that you will

think about overnight? Definitely. I am pleased that my start improved so

much for the second run. That was another element I wanted to work

on. I corrected that. I think I just really want to flow and enjoy the

second day. And hope to move by little bit. I should be happy

anyway. A little bit or...? I would like to have a neat and tidy run.

When I walk of that track, just be happy. It has been tricky to get

here. The fact we have got here, I'm just proud. Tellers about the

helmet? What is happening? Yellow macro that was the G-force,

unfortunately. I have damaged it. Hopefully it can get repaired

overnight. Can I just say hello to everybody back at home and everybody

who has been watching and supporting? Thank you. See you

tomorrow. How was your morning's work? Very good. It started pretty

early. I was twisting and turning in my bed. So excited. I kept on having

to go back to sleep. Now I have started the competition, I am in the

swing of it and pleased with how it is going. The first stop was

amazing. It was the quickest you have ever been on this track, I

think. Yes, I think the first and second pushes worthy fastest I have

ever been -- work the. It is only whiskers. Amy has called your runs

beautiful to watch. Thank you. I did think of her halfway down thinking,

I hope she is enjoying commentating. It is so good to have her support.

And all of the support of Team GB. They are properly screaming at the

telly. We see your mum and dad here and your sister enjoying it too. I

could not do without them. My best friends have supported me from the

start. They have put up with my moaning. They have been through it

all. It means everything they can be here and it costs so much. How do

you spend the time before coming back tomorrow? Coming from the

heptathlon background, I like the evening part. This is where races

can be won and lost. I love it. I can sleep like a baby eat red food

and recover and stretch. -- sleep like a baby and eat good food. You

are a head. Do you take a much notice of how ahead you? Ideally

going into the second day, I would be in second or third position. It

can be tricky being first off. I will have to content with that

tomorrow. Really the race is only halfway through soap actor the

drawing board with the coach will stop we will talk about lines and

try and improve for tomorrow. -- with the coach will stop we will

talk about lines. How were the nerves? As long as I keep my hands

palm and relax, it calms my whole body. See you tomorrow.

She has certainly got a cool head. She even had time to think of Amy

Williams halfway down the run! A third run will be taking class

tomorrow afternoon at 3:30pm your time. Let us hope that they sleep

well overnight. It is time now for more action on the eyes now. It is

short track speed skating. We will be concentrating on the women's

quarterfinals in the 500m vent will stop a reminder of the event in

which you have to keep your wits about you.

Short track speed skating is a race against each other and not the

clock. It is a knockout format with skaters tearing around the 111 metre

oval track at speeds of up to 40 miles an hour in the hope of

progressing into the next round. Tactics play a big part with

competitors often happy to track the leader and then produced a late

charge to the line. He lost it on the line. A bunch of skaters vying

for position at high speed means crashes and discoloured vocations

are frequent. -- disqualifications. This short track specialist is the

most decorated American Winter Olympian of all time and has won

eight medals in this event including two golds it is all taking place in

the iceberg Palace, the venue that is shared with the figure skating

and short track. But it is the long blades we have

got on there this morning for the quarterfinals of the women's 500m.

Elise Christie and Charlotte Gilmartin have both made it for the

-- to the quarterfinals. They are both stronger in the longer events.

This first round features Charlotte Gilmartin. It is Wilf O'Reilly and

Hugh Porter keeping tabs on it for us.

Ready for the first quarterfinal in the Lady's 500 metres. The line-up

for this... We had quite a few false starts in the first round. This is a

pure sprint. You have got to get away sharpish. We are away cleanly

first time. The Canadian is away at the front. They are in the order

they left the starting line. Charlotte Gilmartin is being

distanced slightly. She has a lot of work to do. Still they are in the

same order. Charlotte Gilmartin finding the pressure too hot to get

into the contest. The penultimate lap. Lovely move by Seung-Hi Park.

The win is going to go to the Korean. Marianne St-Gelais is

second. They will go into the semifinal. Sadly, Charlotte

Gilmartin could not really get involved in the race. A battle for

first and second. There we see Yara Van Kerkhof and the Korean coach

very pleased with the way Seung-Hi Park skated. Did not get away very

well. I was surprised Marianne St-Gelais did not take the race from

the start to the finish. Seung-Hi Park cruising up the inside between

them. A bit of a battle. Very tight. Marianne St-Gelais's and crossing

Yara Van Kerkhof's body, protecting her position as Seung-Hi Park comes

across first. Will we hear more about that? It looked as though

their shoulders came together and there was a hand. The board is

showing it is going to be Seung-Hi Park and Marianne St-Gelais through.

We'll -- will Yara Van Kerkhof get advance? I don't think so.

Quarterfinal number two. The first and second over the line

will go into the semifinals. Tucked in on the place is Elise Christie.

She has made a cute move already. There is a slight gap as well. The

young Chinese skater, second overall in the World Cup, having placed

second in three of the rounds, she is tapping the rhythm at the front.

Elise Christie is profiting from it. Elise Christie will need to be

vigilant and be aware of Jessica Hewitt's presence. Jessica Hewitt

has gone down. That has done Elise Christie a great favour. Elise

Christie with a very controlled race finishes second and moves into the

second. Very controlled indeed. She got away marvellously well from

third position immediately into second. The Chinese skater led the

race out. Elise Christie cruised along behind her. Here we see Elise

coming off the third start position into second place. Very good sharp

skating from her. That underpinned her qualification. Absolutely. The

fact that Jessica Hewitt did go down in the last lap... We can see her

flying out of the track there. It would not really have affected Elise

Christie. She got there on merit. She had a game plan. She knew she

had to lift herself from the third position. That is what she did. She

allowed the young Chinese skater to keep the place and at the front.

That has done her the power of good. True to the semifinal. There it is,

confirmed for you. Looking forward now to the third of these

quarterfinal clashes. We have got Korea represented here, Russia,

China and the Netherlands. Qiuhong Liu and Alang Kim, it will

be hard for the others to get level with them. A big buzz in the arena

because we have got a ration competing in this. -- we have got a

Russian. The Russian is only 16 years of age. She won the European

youth Festival and they really are waxing lyrical about the future of

her. She is right at the back at the moment. The youngster has a lot of

work to do. It is China at the front of the contest here. Qiuhong Liu is

turning the screw. Going with her, the Dutch skater. This would be a

story if Alang Kim fails to get in. The Koreans are noted for their

acceleration. There goes the Korean. No, she did not make it. Still the

Netherlands are in second. Leading is Qiuhong Liu of China. That is how

they crossed the line. Good skating by the Dutch skater. The winner of

the third quarterfinal was Qiuhong Liu of China. Fabulous skating. The

start position is vital. From the heats, both Chinese skaters, the

winner of the last race and this race, they have drawn number one and

that makes it a very, very tough next round for the semifinals. That

is another Korean that has not made it through. They are not having it

their own way. Not at all. The Koreans better known for their

longer distances, the 1000m and the 1500m. Suffering here in the 500m.

It is the one discipline that career has never won the gold medal in --

Korea has never won the gold. China specialise at the short sprint.

There we are. Crossing the line, the winner, Qiuhong Liu of China. We

have one more quarterfinal to go. Also here Canada have failed at the

moment to place in the semifinal. Marianne St-Gelais going down there.

Winner of the Silver in Vancouver. Now she is out of the contest. One

more throw of the dice and that will come in quarterfinal number four

with Valerie Maltais who has drawn position number three. It will be

interesting. Arianna Fontana has drawn position one and she will take

some passing. Right alongside her is Jianrou Li of China. China have a

chance of putting another skater into the semifinal.

First. -- first false start. Only 17 years of age, the Chinese skater,

Jianrou Li. She was the one that moved first in position number two.

The skaters are only allowed one. -- one false start. Skater number two

has a false start. We are away this time. Look at the power of Fontana.

This is her speciality. She goes to the front immediately. Being pursued

by Jianrou Li of China. These two turning the screw. Valerie Mull

Taser in third spot cannot get into the action. -- Valerie Maltais. It

is all about staying upright. Fontana still at the front.

Concluding lap. Fontana leading. General Lee of China in second. That

is how they finish. They go through. Valerie Maltais has not made it.

That tells you the depth of the competition at this level. Fontana

from Europe. Elise Christie from Europe. It is good to see the

Europeans getting through. If you look down through the years, it was

only a Bulgarian that got the silver medal in the last two medals. All of

the rest have come from America, China, Korea. Absolutely. And one of

them is from Great Britain! Now then, Elise Christie, is this going

to be the start of her medal account? No pressure. The result

confirmed. Yes, Elise Christie through to the

semifinals. We will be seeing those in the next 15 minutes. Until then,

time for the heats of the men's 1000 metres. Korea have won every single

title except for one, 2002, Steven Bradbury of Australia was the

winner. We have got three skaters in this. Back to the Palace.

Nine laps of the rink. Great Britain have got Jean -- Jon Eley. This is

his third Olympics. Niels Kerstholt of the Netherlands. Chris Creveling.

And Schaal cornea of Canada. -- Charle Cournoyer. John Ely is in

fourth at the moment. -- John Ely. The 29-year-old clinging to the

back. He was a finalist in Turin. He will have to find something here. He

certainly is. Only four laps left. Chris Creveling storming the pace.

He is tapping the read out at the front. John Ely is going to have to

find more power to get into second place. Two laps remaining. The line

has fractured. I don't see him making it through. Chris Creveling

is second. The head of the contest, coming up to tidy up heat one with a

very good display of skating, is Charle Cournoyer of Canada. So John

Ely did not make it through. He is better known for the 500. It was

quite a fast race. 1:24.79. The Olympic and world record 1.23.007.

You can see how soft the ice is. Really, really soft. I think they

are trying to keep the temperature of the ice down.

He did make a move to get involved but then of course the line

fractured. We had a brace of skaters going clear. The result confirmed. A

win for the Canadian. Here is the line-up for the third

heat. Richard Shoebridge in his first Olympics lining up in this.

Born in Johannesburg. Lives in Nottingham. 12th in the European

Championship recently. He was preferred to Paul Stanley, who had

skated into Olympics. He has got his opportunity to show us what he can

do. He has got the inside position as well. A good starting position.

A webby go. -- away we go. Richard Shoebridge controlling this race.

Vladislav Bykanov comes around the outside. Richard has to be carefully

does not get caught at the back. The Russian takes the lead. Yes, a huge

roar in the arena. The crowd tried to lift Vladimir Grigorev. He looks

comfortable. On his coat-tails, or clinging to them, is Tianyu Han from

China. At the moment, Richard Shoebridge is at the back. He will

have to make a move if he wants to reach the quarters. The pace has

been ramped up significantly. Vladislav Bykanov on the inside.

Good skating from him. He was actually born in the Ukraine. Moved

to Israel in 1984. Still at the back is Richard Shoebridge. He is not

going to make it through. He gets into third but they are inside the

final lap and he has been distanced. It is a win for a Vladimir Grigorev

Russia, and Tien -- Tianyu Han of China is second. Richard Shoebridge

had to do a lot of work from the back. A lot of fighting going on

between Richard Shoebridge and Vladislav Bykanov of Israel. The

Russian coach, originally from France, very pleased. Very

impressive performance. Vladimir Grigorev, a cool character. Prefers

the 500 metres. Making it look very easy. Richard Shoebridge trying to

get into third. The Russian looks so powerful over this distance. He was

in very good form in the Europeans recently. He finished fifth overall.

That is the distance. Jack Whelbourne goes lane five.

Wenhao Liang. Eduardo Alvarez and Charles Hamelin.

A false start. Great courage being shown by Jack Whelbourne in his

second Olympics. To turn, I believe. -- 210, I

believe. Come on, Jack. You need a good start.

Jack Whelbourne squeezed into third. It is the top two that make it

through. Here comes Charles Hamelin. Just beginning to ignite. Jack

Whelbourne will have to do something here if he wants to qualify. He is

still in touch. Charles Hamelin in first. Jack Whelbourne still at the

back. The Chinese has the lead. Charles Hamelin, whose eyes are as

wide as sources, in second. Jack Whelbourne is showing great

courage. He is right on the coat-tails of Charles Hamelin. But

Charles Hamelin goes down the inside. And Jack Whelbourne with a

brilliant move the inside as well. He has been passed by Alvares. Final

lap, Alvares against Jack Whelbourne for the final spot. Charles Hamelin

has got its own up. Jack Whelbourne finishes third. Alvares is second.

What a courageous escape by Jack Whelbourne. Incredibly courageous.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Charles Hamelin. He

went through the Chinese skater. There was not a lot of room. It

would be interesting to see if the referees make that call and

disqualified Charles Hamelin for impeding the Chinese skater. That

would be an incredible story. It will not make any difference to Jack

Whelbourne. It could do. That would mean that Alvares would be first and

Jack Whelbourne would be second. All, right. Let's wait to see the

outcome of the discussions. You can skate through skaters. There has to

be some space. The Chinese skater was clearly impeded. We wait for the

outcome. Tremendous skating by Jack Whelbourne. A virtuoso performance

by him despite only being declared 60% fit. They are clenching their

fists, the Chinese. Still no change. It is still showing Charles Hamelin

as the winner. The judges did look into it but the

result stored. This is live. Three laps remaining. The women's 500

metres semifinals. Elise Christie will be going in the second. You --

you join us in the closing lap of semifinal number-1.

A superb race by song he Park of Korea. -- Seung-Hi Park. And Fontana

is in the final. Marianne St-Gelais has missed out. She has indeed.

There was no space to go for these skaters. Marianne St-Gelais has

missed out and Jorien Ter Mors as well. It was very close. It was a

late run by Fontana that challenged Seung-Hi Park. The result confirmed.

Now then, we're waiting to see if Elise Christie can become the first

ever British skater to make it into the medal contest in this race. This

event first phase two of the final won for the fourth time. Then it was

a Canadian Chinese have that I have won the last two.

Three Chinese skaters against Elise Christie. The first two will go

through. Not a particularly great start for Elise Christie but she has

recovered. There is a for love. One of the great favourites has gone

down. Elise Christie is on the front. It will be very hard for the

Chinese skaters to get round her. She is fully inspired. Elise

Christie has put the other two to the sword. Elise Christie within a

lap of getting through to the final. This is history in the making. Yes,

Elise Christie coming off the bend. She may well have finished second,

actually. But that is good enough to see her into the final. She skated

that really well. But the fact that Fan Kexin went down and took the

pressure off. It certainly did. That was a superb skate by Elise

Christie. I do not doubt for one moment that she will not be in the

final. Everybody looking cautiously now at the video screen. A little

bit of teams skating by the Chinese. Elise Christie capitalised on the

fall going straight to the front, the place she likes to be. She led

almost the last four laps of the 500m. What a support superb

performance. The 23-year-old from Scotland who is now based in

Nottingham becomes the first British skater in the history of the race to

get into the medal contest. She is looking very good indeed and the

500m is not her speciality. The 1000m is her favourite. But in this

kind of form... She has got that by a whisker. Elise Christie wins

semifinal number two. That is also very good because she is guaranteed

at least a position number three because she won that race. There is

the result confirmed. Four in the final, three medals at stake. We are

all waiting to see if Elise Christie can make it to the podium. Superb

skating. She is in imperious form, is Elise Christie. The final will

comprise of Arianna Fontana, Park Seung-Hi, Jianrou Li and Elise

Christie. I cannot wait. That final will be at 12:10pm this

afternoon. That really is history in the making. Elise Christie is the

first British woman ever to make it through to a short track final at

the Olympic Games. Fantastic for her. It is not even her best event.

The 1000m was the one that everyone was hoping for. Every chance at

12:10pm. Very exciting on the sixth day of the Olympic Games. More good

news. It comes from the Ice Cube Curling Center. This morning Eve

Muirhead and her team work against China and this was 7-7 going into

the final end. It came down to the last stone in the 10th end. Eve

needed a draw. It came down to a last stone against Canada yesterday

and it did not go even macro's way -- Eve's way. Sweeping kept to a

minimum. In it goes. That is a beautiful shot. Dead weight. That is

a win, a much-needed win for Eve Muirhead and the Great Britain team.

Her next match against Japan is tomorrow. Well played, Eve, and the

rest of the team. Let us hear from Eve.

She spoke after the victory. Congratulations.

It was a tight match. It was always going to be a tight match. They have

been world champions. Betty got bronze at the last Olympics. It was

all was going to be a tough game. As you say, give it to them, give it to

us, a bit of to and fro. What about your own game? You look to be spot

on today. Getting the weight really well. Something which you must be

plead about -- pleased about. I felt good today. The rest of the girls

set me up well. The last end, Vicki Adams called it great. Thankfully, I

managed to pull it off. I had high confidence. When you have that, you

get a run going. How difficult was it to put the defeat against Canada

behind you? Everyone was talking about your particular shot, it is

all about the game, we know that, but that shot took everyone's

tension. How hard was it to put that behind you? You have to know how to

bounce back from defeat, especially in a sport like curling. You are not

going to go unbeaten the whole week. If you lose a game, you have to know

how to move on. It sounds easy but it is not. It is always in the back

of your mind, especially when you are at the Olympic Games, it is

tough to be in the games when you know you had the chance to win

them. For us to get a good solid performance, it will lift us and

hopefully tomorrow we can continue that. We have Korea and Japan. If we

can have another two really good games, it will be good. Very well

played, Eve Muirhead. As she says, the work goes on. But it is much

better. Two wins and two defeats in their round Robin campaign. We have

a little bit of time before we had lied to the GB men playing the US in

the curling. They are on their technical break at the moment. It

gives us a chance to look back 30 years tomorrow to the day so when

Torvill and Dean stated to goal in the Sarajevo Olympics with sixes

across the board that macro skated to gold -- they skated to gold.

As a child, I was really quite shy but I think when I was on the ice, I

felt like somebody different, somebody else. You were in your own

little world, your own space. I think over the years, it brought out

a different personality in me and lots of confidence. The first time I

went to the ice rink was on a score trip when I was about eight or nine.

I really enjoyed the feeling of the glide of the ice, the speed you

could get and just different ways that you could do things on skates.

The ice rink where I started skating was quite an old building and a

little bit run down, I have to say. But for me, it was a special place,

magical. Even though there were lots of mice and rats. After I don't know

how many weeks, I pestered my parents, could I have my own

skates. They bought me a second-hand pair of skates. Also, I was allowed

to have one lesson a week which I absolutely loved. After so many

years of skating, it quickly became my priority. When I started skating

with Chris, it was my life, even though at that time, we both have

full-time jobs. For us to find the time to skate, it

was outside the 9-5 hours. There was not a lot of ice time available to

us. Chris and I were in our early 20s when we realised that we had a

chance possibly of a gold medal. We made a very big decision and decided

to give up our jobs and concentrate so that we could skate full-time.

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. Each year, we had to come up with

something new and push ourselves. We started to get very creative in the

routines we were doing. Perfect. Everything was geared around leading

up to it 1984 because this was our Olympics, this was our chance.

The dramatic bolero. It is really hard to describe the feeling of that

performance. It feels like a dream sequence. It feels like I was

looking down on someone else doing that. Luckily for us, on that

evening, it all went well. We have our own feeling of how it went. It

is when you watch it back that you actually see it for what it is or

what it was. But the feeling you had performing it was completely

different. I do remember the moment when all

the sixes came up. They put the first lot of scores up and there was

a roar. Then there was a massive raw. I remember looking at the score

board and thinking, wow, I think we have done it. Jayne Torvill and

Christopher Dean have one the gold metal of these Olympics ice dance

competition -- Vic Korea the gold medal. I did not think a young girl

from Clifton could ever be Olympic champion. But it just goes to show,

never stop dreaming. My dream started small and got bigger and

bigger. HAZEL IRVINE: It is an amazing

story. You were only allowed four minutes and ten seconds for those

performances and the music they managed to compress down was four

minutes and 28 seconds so Chris devised this way of using the music

without skating and only when you started skating did the time start.

Hence them starting on their knees. A piece of useless information but I

really enjoy it. We are going to more action on the ice and it is in

the Ice Cube Curling Center now because we have seen Eve Muirhead

achieve the good win this morning over the Chinese. Dave Murdoch and

his men are already on the ice against the United States of

America. Dave has had a pretty decent campaign so far with three

wins and one defeat. This is the scoreline as we join them. Great

Britain have four shots to the US's one. Let us get in there.

Thank you. A very good position. GB have been pretty dominant from the

beginning. The US actually started with the hammer and they could not

use it at all. Britain took the 3-0 lead against the hammer and it just

shows you their dominance. Then the Americans got one back in the

fourth. Britain took another one in the and it reached halfway point

with this three shot advantage. Playing very well indeed. The

Americans skip, John Shuster. He has been making hard work of this for

him and his team. That is the American lead, John Landsteiner. He

has made one or two of choices that Great Britain have capitalised on.

He has also made one or two Paul shots as well stop by contrast, it

has been a good afternoon for the British team -- one or two Paul

shots. By contrast, it has been a good afternoon for the British team.

Playing their shots and taking advantage of the mistakes of the

opposition. If Britain were to win this, it would be four wins out of

five and it would put them in a very strong position will stop they have

got a match against Denmark tomorrow. One of the supposedly

weaker teams. Then a couple of tough matches, Canada and Norway. A couple

of wins against the USA and Denmark, absolutely what they would

want to have. Just to get five wins under your belt, would be

marvellous. Let us not get ahead of ourselves. Still five friends to go.

Despite their dominance, they will continue to dominate. -- still five

end macros to go. They have been playing very confidently. Nothing

phasing them at the minute. All of them shooting very well. Before we

started any of this competition, Dave was asked, they thought they

played quite defensively. They've disagreed and said they had many

game plans under their belt. I would like to reiterate that the boys have

played very well. They have played together well as a team. Scott has

had a couple of sessions where he was not at his best. But he has been

really good today. Greg Drummond has almost been the star of the show.

Great shot there from Scott Andrews. Dovetailing really well, stepping up

to the plate at different times. Good shot selection and execution.

They have made life difficult from the start for this American quartet.

They had terrible games in Vancouver, the USA. Shuster got a

lot of stick back over that. He has done well to fight his way back to

represent the United States again. They had to come through qualifying.

They did not have enough world ranking points. They went to Germany

in December. They won that competition.

The other team in very close to qualifying was the Czech Republic.

It was a tough battle. Unfortunately, they did not make it,

and the USA did. I am mature the USA team gets enough match practice. --

I am not so sure. The country is well populated with curlers. A bit

like the rest of the European countries, they probably have to

travel to get the match practice. Jeff Isaacson is struggling a little

bit today. He is the one to me looks happy to

be in the Olympic Games. I may be being a little harsh.

USA, when they have had the hammer, they have not used it at all well.

They are doing really well. They are controlling the ends when the

Americans should be controlling them.

They are just not building an end very well. No. Not at all. That is

much better. Not a bad attempt. They would be wanting to sit right on top

of that stone. If it had been a little further around, is more

difficult to shift. But there, there is enough of an angle. You can see

where the brushes. A freeze has to be right on top of the other stone.

No space between it. It will make it hard for the opposition to hit it

out. There is no doubt these boys can throw some heavyweight down the

rink. Sometimes, even if they are jammed together, they can spin them

out sideways. That should be an easy enough to take-out for David

Murdoch. Well done. A very assured performance so far. Dave has missed

one or two. But generally if he has not had a perfect shot, he has

followed it up with a good one. He has not led Shuster have anything

easy. Shuster is shooting 56%. That is an improvement. He was below 50%.

I think it has been as much about his shot selection as anything else.

I am mature his strategy has been what is required at this level of

play. I think we mention it earlier. Sometimes it is also shot

execution. If you don't get the shot execution and the strategy itself

goes out the window. Our boys have been calling a good game and playing

a good game. That makes all the difference. Think it is that the

situation of setting the end up. If you use those statistics, Michael

Goodfellow and Scott Andrews are both shooting in the 90%. To be

fair, the American first two were shooting better than their back to.

-- two. It is critical that the front end of your team plays the

stones were the skip is looking for them. That will direct how the rest

of the play goes. So a very important position to be his lead.

Often very underestimated in this game of curling, since the skip gets

all of the credit. But they wouldn't be anywhere without the rest of the

team in front of them. Well, he is good to have did try again. He

didn't get anything going at that end. Not making any inroads into the

British lead. Running out of time, running out of stones. It remains

4-1 to Great Britain after six. And these discussions, just before we

joined us the chats between the teams, the Americans were very flat,

very down. The coach came down. He was talking to David Murdoch. He

said to him, smile and it was a must visit he was saying, take on the

demeanour of a man in charge. Yet -- The Americans look William

despondent. Not at all a unit. You notice our boys gathering together,

planning at this end is going to go. I feel these American boys are

pretty flat. I think if I was the coach I would be giving them a bit

of a shake. You generally have to look at the scoreboard. They should

be taking at -- looking at taking a two, forcing a one. I really feel

their heart is not in this game at the minute. Our boys definitely are.

Wiwa saying they were looking around at family members in the crowd. The

fact that this big Russian credits during the match on the far side

between Switzerland and Russia, they were kind of breaking away when

there was a cheer. They almost give the demeanour that they are happy to

be here rather than concentrating on winning this match. That may be

because they started badly. There are plenty of stones left. If they

all their game and put some pressure on Britain, force a two or get a

steal, you're back in the game. That is how you have to think. Speaking

of Russian Cheers... Having said all that, Steve, this

game is going Great Britain's away. -- way. Four wins and one loss would

put them at the forefront of this competition. China at four wins.

China are not playing this afternoon. They have had four

victories. It is a surprise to see them at the top. Nowhere are

undefeated but they are currently trailing their Scandinavian

compatriots. They are currently trailing Sweden 4-1. If Sweden were

to close that, they would be like Britain. Canada started to assert

themselves after an indifferent start to the competition. They are

currently leading as well. I think five matches in, if you are at the

top, you have won four and lost one, I would be delighted with that

situation. They play Denmark tomorrow. Great Britain still have

to face Canada. I had to say, I would probably like to have seen

this match earlier in the week. They may be getting stronger as the week

goes on. I think of our boys go out and perform as we know they can,

they are more than capable of beating any of the teams year. --

any of the teams here. A big cheer going up. This is Jared Zezel.

Playing second. He is from Hibbing in Minnesota. Small town renowned

for? The birthplace of Bob Dylan. Best song? Rolling Stone, maybe?

Never mind! Just trying to make tenuous links, useless information.

If only I could follow! I know. I am two steps ahead of you. It is like

this game. I am normally about three shots behind you! Hibbing,

Minnesota. Easy, you have learned something. The birthplace of Bob

Dylan. I will have learned something if I can keep that in my little

brain! Scott Andrews has been asked to peel off that front guard and

hopefully roll himself leaving nothing up front. Once again, USA,

because they are not putting the stones where they need to, and the

scenario we have seen pretty much through this, where Britain have

made the smart moves earlier on, the Americans have tended to leave

guards of which Britain had built on. Then they got their scores. It