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The scoring in the half pipe seems to have an air of mystery, baffling even the experts at times. Points are awarded for variety, difficulty, amplitude, execution and progression – but with some freedom for artistic licence for the judges.
Now the German Ettel sisters follow the Rettenegger brothers. Leilani slips into the final qualifying spot in 12th at the end of run one. Sister Konna lies 18th. And that’s the end of run one: with Chloe Kimm looking down at her rivals.
The riders are having to squint into the sun to see their scores come up. There’s lots of USA support on the slopes, first for 19-year old Bea Kim, who looks happy to settle into fifth, then for the queen of half pipe, Chloe Kimm, who is aiming for her third consecutive gold medal in this discipline. Oh and she’s also just finished a degree at Stamford. It’s a cracking start – a big backside 720, frontside 900, and something floaty and turny which the commentators describe as “the penny black” of halfpipe. She immediately settles into first.
Women’s halfpipe qualifying: Thinking about my attempts to stand on a skateboard as young women in baggy snow trousers zig-zag and float across the halfpipe.
Korean Gaon Choi , Chloe Kim’s biggest rival, flies effortlessly through the air, rhythmic and big, with an average of 2.8m jumps and, I’m told, a very difficult switchback side seven (?) to open. It’s only enough to put her second, to the raised eyebrows of the commentators.
The last jumper is Johannes Lamparter, who will be disappointed to be walking away from the ski-jump section in sixth. The commentators think the conditions might be tricky as “none have really excelled” – which seems a little harsh
So, the leader, going into the cross-county competition will be Kristijan Ilves, who pockets a 15-second head-start.
On they go, soaring through the icy air, often looking disappointed after flying nearly 100m down a mountainside. Two brothers follow one after another: first Thomas, then Stefan Rettenegger. They slip into second and fourth position.
..but despite enthusiastic support from a busy crowd of big coats and woolly hats, he lands a little short and has to settle for third.
Our first event is the men’s Nordic combined – where marks in the ski-jump are turned into a staggered start in the cross-country race. Kristjan Ilves of Estonia is in the lead at the moment, with 132.6 points from his jump – (marks are awarded for style and distance). But here comes the defending champion Vinzenz Geiger…
On the BBC, they are discussing Team GB’s near misses.“There’s no shame in saying we wanted an early medal, but every single one of those three results could have been ours,” says the ever-optimistic Chemmy Alcott. “Our best prospects are in the men’s skeleton, they’re a tick in the box for me.”
Another horrible injury for a member of the Austrian team: as snowboarder Cam Bolton breaks his neck in training.
Today's highlights
09:30 Snowboard Women’s Halfpipe Qualification
10:00 Freestyle Skiing Women’s Moguls Qualification
10.30 Alpine Skiing Men’s Super G FINAL
12:45 Nordic Combined Men’s Gundersen Normal Hill/10km cross-country FINAL
13:15 Biathlon Women’s 15km FINAL
13:15 Freestyle Skiing Women’s Moguls FINAL
15:40 Ice Hockey Men’s Group B: Slovakia v Finland
16:00: Luge Women’s Double, Run 1
16:51: Luge Men’s Double, Run 1
17:30 Men’s Speed skating 1000m FINAL
17:53: Women’s Luge double FINAL
18:05 Curling Men’s Round Robin: China v GB, Sweden v Italy, Czech Republic v USA, Canada v Germany,
18:30 Figure Skating, Mixed Ice Dance, Free Dance FINAL
18:30 Snowboard Men’s Halfpipe Qualification
18:44 Luge Men’s Double FINAL
20:10: Ice Hockey Men Group B: Sweden v Italy
Preamble
Hello and welcome to day five day of winter action in Milan and the hauntingly beautiful Italian mountains.
There are eight gold medals up for grabs today, mostly on the slopes. They go for glory in the high-stakes men’s Super G (giant slalom) and the men’s Nordic combined (a 10km cross-country race and ski-jump), while Australia’s Jakara Anthony defends her title in the women’s Moguls (more ski-ing, this time racing down a steep course of jumps, turns and aerial trickery). France’s Lou Jeanmonnot guns for her second gold of the games in the women’s biathalon (cross-country skiing and rifle shooting).
Over on the rink, the mighty Dutch are favourites in the men’s 1000m speed skating, while both sexes prepare to throw themselves down an icy shute in the luge double. Finally, flowing silks and rousing pianos accompany the free dance component of the ice dance finals. There, Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson will be hoping to inch up from fourth to bronze. Incredible fact – 24 million tuned in to watch Torvill and Dean win gold in 1984, (and ten year old me was one of them).
Team GB are crossing everything that Fear and Gibson will kick-start the country’s haul of medals, which so far have dangled agonisingly just out of reach. “We always speak about winter sports and how it comes down to absolutely nothing and I think the last couple of days has been a prime example of that, hasn’t it?” said chef de mission Eve Muirhead. “Millimetres, milliseconds. But you know what, I’m really kind of, I’m positive.”
There’s also ice-hockey, snowboard half pipe, and more curling, where Britain’s men will start their campaign, against China. Grab a cappuccino and join us. We’ll be here all day.
