Figure skating’s finest battle for ice dance supremacy while bobsleigh’s first medals are also awarded on another busy day at Sochi 2014.
Thirty years ago in Sarajevo, the Olympic free dance program created the British sporting legend that was Torvill and Dean’s internationally renowned ‘Bolero’, a routine which they performed for the last time recently as part of a nostalgic return visit to the city.
Now in the present day, Canada and the United States are likely to dominate the intense battle for gold.
This second segment of the ice dance competition – the free programe – where skaters have licence to unleash their own creativity, is always one of the highlights of any Winter Games and more spectacular memories are expected to be created this time around.
The top prize this time seems destined to go to either world champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the USA, or their big rivals and training partners Tessa Moir and Scott Virtue of Canada (pictured), who are the defending Olympic champions.
There will be British representation in the form of Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland, and the pair will be aiming for at least a top 10 finish in a highly competitive field.
Buckland had heart surgery in October but picked up European bronze with Coomes in January following a remarkable recovery.
The first medals in the bobsleigh competitions will be awarded with the final two heats of the two-man event.
Steven Holcomb has had an extremely successful season for the United States and is the favourite for two-man gold, but will be challenged by Switzerland’s Beat Hefti, Russia’s Alexander Zubkov and Canada’s Lyndon Rush.
Winston Watts pilots the Jamaican two-man sled as his nation makes its first bobsleigh appearance since the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.
Women’s ice hockey reaches the semi-final stages today and just like ice dancing its the Americans and the Canadians that dominate this event, especially since its introduction to the Olympic programme.
Fellow semi-finalists Sweden and Switzerland will be looking to cause two major upsets against the two heavily fancied favourites.
As ever at the Ice Cube Center, the curling round-robin matches continue as this phase begins to reach its climax.
Great Britain’s women play two crucial games against hosts Russia in the morning, followed by Denmark in the afternoon, while the men take on China.
Gold medals will also be decided in ski jumping, freestyle skiing and biathlon.
You can access all the action from the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics across BBC TV, Red Button and radio, with up to six live streams available online, connected TVs, mobiles, tablets and the BBC Sport app.
SOTB’s TV viewing guide to Day 10 of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games below:
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DAY 10: MONDAY 17th FEBRUARY
05:00 – 13:00 |
CURLING & FIGURE SKATING Presenter: Hazel Irvine |
Hazel Irvine is in Sochi where the first of the day’s six gold medals will be awarded in the men’s snowboard cross.
This fast-paced event in which boarders race each other down the course has been hugely popular since it was first introduced to the Winter Olympics in 2006.
Seth Wescott won the inaugural event, and then retained his title in Vancouver four years later – can the American collect a third gold in Sochi despite an injury-plagued build-up?
It is getting to the business end of the curling group stages. Great Britain’s women face Russia, while the men are up against China.
Plus, there is another chance to catch up on the previous night’s action at the Iceberg Skating Palace, where the ice dance competition began.
There is also action from the rescheduled men’s 15km mass start biathlon event, which was cancelled due to poor viability on Sunday.
.| 05:00 |
CURLING – LIVE Great Britain v Russia (Women) |
| 08:00 | FIGURE SKATING – Ice Dance Highlights |
| 09:30 |
SNOWBOARD – LIVE Men’s Snowboard Cross Final |
| 10:30 | CURLING – LIVE Great Britain v China (Men) |
13:00 – 16:00 |
ICE HOCKEY & CURLING Presenter: Jonathan Edwards |
BBC Two’s live coverage focuses on the women’s ice hockey semi-finals, plus women’s curling events.
The USA and Canada both won their matches at this stage in 2010, and will be expecting to be in the mix again in Sochi.
And there is time to pop back to the Ice Cube to see how Great Britain’s women’s curlers fare in their final round-robin match against Denmark.
There will also be the latest updates from the bobsleigh and biathlon events.
| 13:00 | ICE HOCKEY – LIVE Women’s Semi Final |
| 15:00 | CURLING – LIVE Great Britain v Denmark (Women) |
16:00 – 19:00 |
BOBSLEIGH & FIGURE SKATING Presenter: Clare Balding |
The ice dance comes to its conclusion with the free dance program as Clare Balding hosts the concluding part of day 10 at the Sochi Games.
This segment of the competition, where skaters have licence to unleash their own creativity, is always one of the highlights of the Games, and has provided many spectacular memories over the years – for British viewers, Torvill and Dean’s famous Bolero routine remains one of the iconic moments of the Winter Olympics.
That gold-winning performance in Sarajevo in 1984 was the last time Britain struck figure skating gold – the top prize this time seems destined to go to either world champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the USA, or their big rivals and training partners Tessa Moir and Scott Virtue of Canada, who are the defending Olympic champions.
There is also live coverage of the two-man bobsleigh, where the medals will be decided with the final two runs.
The favourites include Germany’s Kevin Kuske, a winner in this event in both 2006 and 2010.
There is also men’s aerials action which sees skiers jump up to 20 metres in the air while performing spins and twists.
Aleksei Grishin won Belarus’s first-ever Winter Olympic gold in Vancouver and will look to defend his title in Sochi.
Just as spectacular is the men’s team ski jumping. Each four-man team take turns to jump Sochi’s large hill – covering distances of approximately 125m.
Power, balance and an unflinching resolve are vital, but it is not just about distance – points are also awarded for style. Austria are the reigning Olympic and world champions, with Germany their closest challengers.
.| 16:10 |
BOBSLEIGH – LIVE Two-Man, Final Run |
| 16:55 | FIGURE SKATING – LIVE Ice Dance – Free Program |
| 18:15 | FREESTYLE SKIING – LIVE Men’s Aerials |
| SKI JUMPING – LIVE Men’s Team Large Hill |
19:00 – 20:00 |
TODAY AT THE GAMES Presenter: Clare Balding |
Clare Balding reflects on a hectic day’s action in Sochi as the Games reaches its tenth day.
From the frantic pace and excitement of the men’s snowboard cross, to the grace and serenity of the ice dance, today saw a full variety of Olympic Winter sports.
Gold medals are also decided in bobsleigh, ski jumping, freestyle skiing and biathlon.
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| 05:00-08:00 | CURLING | LIVE Great Britain v Russia (Women) |
| 10:00-13:00 | CURLING | LIVE China v Great Britain (Men) |
| 13:45 | FREESTYLE SKIING | LIVE Men’s Aerials |
| 15:00 | CURLING | LIVE Denmark v Great Britain (Women) |
| 18:00-19:15 | SKI JUMPING | LIVE Men’s Team Event |
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| 07:00-08:20 | SNOWBOARD |
LIVE Men’s Cross Qualification |
| 09:30-10:20 | SNOWBOARD |
LIVE Men’s Cross Finals |
| 10:20 | CURLING | LIVE Germany v Russia (Men) |
| 12:30 | ICE HOCKEY |
LIVE Women’s Semi Final – USA v SWE |
| 14:55 | FIGURE SKATING | LIVE Ice Dance – Free Program |
| 17:40 | FREESTYLE SKIING | LIVE Men’s Aerials Finals |
| 19:05-19:30 | ICE HOCKEY |
LIVE Women’s Semi Final – CAN v SUI |
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Alongside BBC TV’s main coverage on BBC Two, Winter Olympics fans have the chance to become their own TV directors and choose which event they want to watch at the touch of a button.
Full uninterrupted coverage of each individual session and event at the Sochi Games can be accessed in a number of ways.
Selected events can be found via the BBC’s two Red Button streams on TV – available via Freeview, Freesat, BT Vision, Sky, Virgin Media and YouView – by simply pressing the red button on your remote control (see Red Button 1/2 listings above).
All six live streams, featuring access to every Sochi 2014 event, will be made available via the BBC Sport website on all devices.
These streams can also be accessed through the BBC’s Connected Red Button service on TVs via Virgin Media TiVo and Sony Freeview Smart TVs and via the BBC Sport app for connected TVs.
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Men’s 15km Mass Start*
Rescheduled from Sunday
LIVE: 6.00am-7.20am BBC Sport Online
Women’s 12.5km Mass Start*
LIVE: 3.00pm-4.20pm BBC Sport Online
14:30 Two-Man – Heat 3
16:05 Two-Man – Heat 4*
Lamin Deen & John Baines (GBR 1)
LIVE: 2.30pm-5.00pm BBC Sport Online
Russia v Great Britain
Women’s Round Robin
Skip: Eve Muirhead
LIVE: 5.00am-8.00am BBC Red Button 1
China v Great BritainMen’s Round Robin
Skip: David Murdoch
LIVE: 10.00am-1.00pm BBC Red Button 1
Germany v RussiaMen’s Round Robin LIVE: 10.30am-12.20pm BBC Red Button 2 Denmark v Great Britain Women’s Round Robin
Skip: Eve Muirhead
LIVE: 3.00pm-6.00pm BBC Red Button 1
CLICK HERE for full Curling match schedule
Ice Dance – Free Program* Penny Coomes & Nick Buckland
LIVE: 2.55pm-5.40pm BBC Red Button 2
Men’s Aerials QualificationLIVE: 1.45pm-3.00pm BBC Sport Online Men’s Aerials Finals* LIVE: 5.40pm-7.05pm BBC Red Button 2
United States v SwedenWomen’s Semi Final 1 LIVE: 12.30pm-2.55pm BBC Red Button 1
Canada v Switzerland Women’s Semi Final 2 LIVE: 5.00pm-7.30pm BBC Sport Online / 7.05pm-7.30pm BBC Red Button 2
Men’s Team 1st Round / Final*LIVE: 6.00pm-7.15pm BBC Red Button 1
Men’s Cross – Seeding
LIVE: 7.00am-8.20am BBC Red Button 2
Men’s Cross Last 8 / Quarter Finals / Semi Finals / Finals*LIVE: 9.30am-10.20am BBC Red Button 2 All timings/channels listed above subject to change. *denotes event finals.
