Welcome to sportmasta's Blog.: Sochi 2014: Day eight

BY Olusesan and Destiny

All times stated are UK

12:47

Curling

I can tell you what's happening Tardis Girl - and it isn't good news.

Great Britain's men LOSE to Canada in their crucial pool game.
12:45

Short Track Speed Skating

Victor An sealed Russia's first ever short track speed skating gold medal as the host nation sealed a one-two in the men's 1000m.

His compatriot Vladimir Grigorev finishes 0.074 behind to take the silver, with Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands making up the podium.
Get involved

#lovecurling

Tardis Girl: I have no idea what's going on in the curling, but I'm becoming fascinated by it.
12:43

Ice Hockey

United States 0-0 Russia

Less than five minutes on the clock and the biff has started already between the two teams. Neither Russia's Yevgeni Medvedev nor USA's Ryan Callahan take a step back as the pair exchange swinging punches like drunken blokes in a pub car park at kicking out time. Still goalless in the playing action.
12:40

Ollie Williams

BBC Sport at the Shayba Arena

Ice Hockey

United States 0-0 Russia

US coach Dan Bylsma: 'The atmosphere is going to pose some problem, just coming into a hostile environment. I think it's going to be unlike any we've played in front of. These fans are different to North American fans, it creates a different atmosphere'.

"The Americans are handling everything the Russians are throwing at them in the early stages. Frantic start."
Brent Pope

BBC Sport ice hockey commentator

Ice Hockey

"You get the sense that if the Russians score early, this place will pop."
12:38

Curling

Just the one stone for Canada's men curlers in the ninth end and they lead Great Britain 6-5 going into the last. David Murdoch's team, who need victory to move a step closer to the semi-finals, have the hammer and this is going to be tense.

Watch live online and on BBC Red Button.
12:36

Ollie Williams

BBC Sport at the Shayba Arena

Ice Hockey

"Russian flags draped everywhere inside the Bolshoy Ice Dome - with a few stars and stripes poking out - for the biggest ice hockey clash of the Games so far.

"Today's game between Russia and the US is only a group-stage encounter and ultimately doesn't mean much, but the political and historic significance of every meeting between these two is vast. The Americans refuse to let Russia forget their defeat by the US in the 1980 "miracle on ice" - Russia, for whom hockey is a national passion, want to stamp their authority on the game on home ice."
Get involved

#bbcsochi

Oliver S Warren: USA v Russia - what a game this is going to be.
12:33

Gold Medal

Victor An (Russia) - Short Track Speed Skating Men's 1000m

Home success! Russia's Victor An takes the gold.
12:31

Ice Hockey

As Ollie rightly says, nothing whets the appetite quite like a clash between two of the world's super-powers - the United States and Russia. Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. Rocky Balboa and Ivan Drago. Fact or fiction, there is plenty of history between these two nations.

And that also stretches over on to the ice hockey arena. This clash is a repeat of the 'Miracle on Ice' in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, where a USA team made up of amateurs beat the all-conquering Russian side which had won virtually every major honour over the previous couple of decades.

Read what this match means in Sportmasta Sport's Olusesan ' fantastic feature. If this doesn't warm the cockles then nothing will.
Sportmasta Sport in Sochi

Ice Hockey

On Twitter: Worlds collide. The US v Russia, hockey, live from 1230 GMT.
12:25

Curling

Great Britain's men curlers take the one in the eighth end to draw level with Canada and it is 5-5 with two ends to go. A win for GB will all but seal their progression from the round-robin stage, but Canada are pushing them all the way.
12:24

Short Track Speed Skating

Women's 1500m

Gold: Zhou Yang (China) 2:19.140

Silver: Shim Suk Hee (Korea) 2:19.239

Bronze: Arianna Fontana (Italy) 2:19.416
12:22

Short Track Speed Skating

Women's 1500m

A nervous moment for Yang Zhou as she waits for the result to be confirmed, but she flashes a toothy grin at the camera - she knows it is in the bag.
12:20

Gold Medal

Zhou Yang (China) - women's short track speed skating 1500m

A sketchy start by the seven skaters with two false starts indicating a few nerves on the starting line. Half of the field is wiped out by a bone-crunching collision with six laps to go which leaves four women battling out for gold.

China's Yang Zhou - the defending Olympic champion - takes control to attack down the inside and win her second successive crown.
12:16

Short Track Speed Skating

Women's 1500m

The B final, in truth, is a bit of a non-entity. The equivalent of the third/fourth place play-off of a football World Cup. You don't really want to be there, but you have to go through the motions.

Over to the nitty gritty - the A final.....
12:14

Wilf O’Reilly

Former Olympic short track speed skater

Short Track Speed Skating

Women's 1500m

"The 'B' final is an interesting race, as many of the athletes are disappointed not to be in the main final. You really have to hype yourself up for it to get over your disappointment.

"You can go through the formality of racing, but your pride is at stake. As soon as the gun goes, you want to win regardless."
12:13

Speed Skating

Women's 1500m

Let's dash over to the short track skating where the women's 1500m B final is under way....

United States skater Jessica Smith and her Canadian rival Valerie Maltais have a ding-dong battle for the lead, before Maltais stretches her legs to glide over a second clear of Smith. Another Canadian, Marie-Eve Drolet, finishes third.
12:10

Wilf O’Reilly

Former Olympic short track speed skater

Short Track Speed Skating

Christie out of women's 1500m heats

"I have never seen anything like what happened to Elise Christie. It is ridiculous to get a penalty for not crossing the line.

"It has never happened before, a penalty like this. If they want to ensure the skaters stay within the lines, they need a marker at the finishing line.

"It is a very harsh decision that the referee has made. To get the silver medal taken off her in the 500m, and to go out of the 1,500m as she did, will knock her confidence tremendously."
12:09

Curling

Canada get one stone in the seventh end to edge ahead of Great Britain 5-4. David Murdoch's side will be pretty happy with how that end went, though, and they retain the hammer. Good chance for them to sneak into the lead and close in on a sixth win.