Key events
A new leader in the slalom and it’s the woman with a point to prove, Mikaela Shiffrin – who slides over the line with an advantage of 0.82 seconds. The stars and stripes in the crowd wave cheerfully.
Forget-me-not skies and icing sugar snow in the mountains, where run one of the women’s slalom has already started. Switzerland’s Camille Rast, the slalom world champion, is currently the quickest. She puts handfuls of snow down the back of her neck before she starts – an unpalatable pick-me-up.
Preamble
Good morning! We’re racing towards the finishing line now in Milan, stylish snow suit in one hand, espresso in the other. Nine golds hang glistening on the line to be claimed .
The final snowboarding events swoosh onto our screens soon, with the men’s and women’s slopestyle; while out on the mountains, cowbells and exhaution in the cross-country team sprint skiing.
Ice-hockey punctuates the day, with the men’s quarter-finals – expect the usual brutality: Slovakia v Germany, Canada v Czechia, Finland v Switzerland, and USA v Sweden.
And skill of a different sort, weather permitting, in the women’s aerials final. All eyes are on almost-veteran Xu Mengtao of China who is hoping, and loop the looping, to retain her title.
Just after lunch, the USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin goes for gold in the women’s slalom final. After the disappointment of Beijing “its not so much about unfinished business, she has said, it’s more about making peace. Then another relay: after the excitement of France’s comeback in the men’s biathlonthe women’s event..
Two short-track speed skating finals draw the curtains on the day, the men’s 500m and the women’s 3000m relay.
There’s also more of the endless curling round robins. GB’s men have had a disappointing few days and need to beat USA to be in with a chance of making the semi finals.
Thrills, spills, bellyaches, we’ll be covering it all. Do join us.
