Of course it couldn't, this is curling, surely the most nail-biting sport ever invented. 

It looks increasingly likely that Canada face the winners of this one in the final.

21:29 Yuna Kim takes the lead in the figure skating with a superb score of 74.92 for her short programme. She has the hopes of the 2018 Winter Olympic host country on her shoulders but delivered superbly there. 

At almost the same moment Dustin Brown scores to put the US 2-1 up over the Czech Republic, while Canada score three points in their curling semi-final to move 10-6 ahead of China. 

21:20 There are two goals in the first five minutes at the Shayba Arena as the US take the briefest of leads through James van Riemsdyk before Ales Hemsky pins them back to make it 1-1.

And Patrick Sharp scores to make it 1-0 to Canada over Latvia.

21:18 China are also showing good fighting qualities in their semi-final. They are still behind but have trimmed the deficit to 7-6 against Canada after eight completed ends. 

21:16 It was a wonderful victory for Sweden's female curlers earlier on as they set up a final with Canada. 

All the emotion of the sport is conveyed as Sweden sweep their way to victory over Switzerland ©McClatchy-Tribune/Getty Images



But their men are up against it and remain 4-3 down to Great Britain in the ninth end.

21:12 Polina Edmunds of the US remains the leader in the ladies figure skating short programme ahead of Kaetlyn Osmond and Canada and Kexin Zhang of China.

Exactly half - 15 out of 30 - of the field have now performed with gold medal favourite Yuna Kim of South Korea taking to the ice very soon. 

21:05 Just to wrap up the cross country men's sprint classic result from earlier on, Finland have survived that German appeal we mentioned earlier on (16:40) and have won the gold medal ahead of Russia and Sweden. 

20:59 Two more quarter-final ties to come in ice hockey this evening. And after the drama of earlier you cannot take anything for granted. It is Canada v Latvia at the Bolshoy Ice Dome, while over at the Shayba Arena the US face Czech Republic.

Remember that the Czechs have in their team one of the greatest players of all time in Jaromir Jagr.

20:54 Huge move for Canada. They score three points in the seventh end and move into a 7-4 lead over China. Still 3-3 in the eighth end between Britain and Sweden. 

...new world #1 in oil, if not ice hockey

It's OK Russia, as of 2013 data you're now firmly the top provider of crude oil to the world at 13.25%. | Saudi: 12.77%, USA 9.73%.
- Energy and economics journalist Gregor Macdonald provides some consolation to Russia following their ice hockey loss. I'm not sure if that will cheer them up too much at the moment, but you never know...

insidethegames Olympic historian Philip Barker on the origins of curling 

"Great Britain first met Sweden in the very first curling tournament in 1924 and, according to the official report, they won 38-7. This was a three team tournament - it was very low key and for many years was thought to have been a demonstration sport. But the IOC confirmed it as a full gold medal in 2006."

What would Britain give for  another 38-7 victory over the Swedes tonight? They lead by the more paltry margin of 3-2 at the moment...

20:43 Polina Edmunds of the US is the new leader in the women's figure skating. She notches up a total of 61.04 points. 

20:39 Lauryn Williams won 100m silver on the track at Athens 2004 and then took Olympic gold at London 2012 in the 4 x 100m relay although only by virtue of running in the semi-final. She would become the first women, and second person to win gold in both Summer and Winter Games if she does hang on - following in the path set by compatriot Eddie Eagan, who won gold in boxing at Antwerp 1920 then in four-man bobsleigh at Lake Placid 1932.

The second run will follow later tonight. 

20:31 And they still lead after run three - but only just. A bumpy ride from the US pair and their advantage is trimmed from 0.23 seconds to just 0.11. Hot on their heels are Canadian rivals Kellie Humphries and Heather Moyse with the second US pair - driven by Jamie Greubel - lying third. 

20:28 Heat three of the women's bobsleigh has begun. After Ted Ligety becoming the first non-European giant slalom winner, and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen winning a record 13th Olympic biathlon medal, will we have more history tonight?

Lauryn Williams is bidding to become the first women to win Summer and Winter Olympic gold medals and, along with partner and driver Elana Meyers, they held the overnight lead. 

Is Finland in Scandinavia?

20:22 A rather throwaway comment on on the prospects of an all Scandinavian ice hockey semi-final earlier (see 18:45) has opened a whole can of worms over whether Finland is in fact part of Scandinavia?

The honest answer is we are not sure and are hearing different answers from different people about this, so please tweet @insidethegames with your answer to enlighten us!

@insidethegames Whoever wrote it'll be an all-Scandi semi-final on your live blog... Finland isn't in Scandinavia...
- Is Finland in Scandinavia, or is it not? Please let us know and, for that matter, which other countries are as well?

Record medal haul for Bjoerndalen after Finland stun Russia in ice hockey

20:18 As close and tense as ever in curling in the early stages. Great Britain skip David Murdock, who played what some are calling the "shot of the century" to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Norway yesterday, is looking cool again as he pulls his side back to 2-2 against Sweden.

It is 3-2 now to Canada over China in the other semi-final. 

20:12 Meanwhile, the ladies figure skating is one of the most eagarly anticipated events of the whole Games. Most of the gold medal contenders - including world champion Kim Yuna of South Korea - are yet to come, but the leader at this stage is Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada. 

20:01 There have various reactions over the last hour or so to Russia's loss in the Ice hockey earlier.

Sad that the Russian Mens' Hockey Team lost to Finland. Based on performance, they probably would not have won the Gold anyway.
Saint Lucian IOC member Richard Peterkin reflects on the Russian loss.

"We started the game well and scored a goal but after that we made two mistakes, which resulted in two goals. We tried to gather ourselves back but we were not able to do it. We attacked, we had our moments, we fought until the end to score, but it just hasn't worked for us. We lost our Olympic games. There is no one to blame"
- Russia star Alexander Ovechkin, who was the first Russian to carry the Olympic Torch in Ancient Olympia last October, is philosophical after his side crash out of the ice-hockey tournament. 

The Norwegians, including Bjoerndalen, win the first ever gold medal in mixed team biathlon ©AFP/Getty Images



19:53 Canada and Sweden will meet later in the week in the women's curling final. Will they meet in the men's as well? They each hold the lead in their respective semi-finals in the early stages...Canada 3-1 up on China and Sweden edge 2-1 clear of Great Britain. 

Record medal haul for Bjoerndalen as Norway win mixed biathlon relay and lead table

19:48 And that gold medal for Norway also means that they extend their lead at the top of the medals table ahead of Germany and the US. 

It is also the fourth gold medal, and fifth medal, for anchor-skier Emil Hegle Svendsen, while it is a 13th medal - but also an eighth gold- for the imperious Bjoerndalen. 

Emil Hegle Svendsen crosses the line for his second gold medal in as many days in a historic victory for Norway ©Getty Images



19:40 NORWAY win the first ever mixed team biathlon Olympic gold and it is a record 13th Olympic medal for Ole Einar Bjoerndalen!!

The team of Tora Berger and Tiril Eckhoff, Bjoerndalen and Emil Hegle Svendsen finish 32 seconds clear of the Czech Republic with Italy taking the final place on the podium.

19:38 Scores on the doors in the curling after two ends. China and Canada locked at 1-1 while Britain go 1-0 up on Sweden.

19:37 Tora Berger and Tiril Eckhoff provided the perfect platform on the two opening legs for the men to complete the job, and, although Moravec has trimmed the gap to 31 seconds to second placed Czech Republic, it is not going to be enough.

19:33 Emil Hegle Svendsen remains some 37 seconds out in front and Norway are closing in gold. 

19:31 Ole Einar Bjoerndalen won gold and silver at Nagano 1998, gold, gold ,gold and gold at Salt Lake City 2002, silver, silver and bronze at Turin 2006 and gold and silver at Vancouver 2010. He already boasts one gold at Sochi 2014 and looks set to win his 13th and record breaking Olympic medal in a matter of moments. 

19:28 Svendsen has a 36 second lead over Ondrej Moravec of the Czech Republic - with the Czech coming third in yesterday's mass start race behind the Norwegian. Italy still lie third and the gaps seem pretty large at the moment. 

Brilliant shooting by Svendsen. He goes clear and surely that is going to be enough for gold.

19:26 But we are going to focus on the conclusion of the biathlon as Emil Hegle Svendsen enters the shooting range in the lead on the final leg for Norway. 

19:23 Action has begun in the ladies short programme in figure skating as well as in the two semi-finals in curling where Sweden face Britain and Canada face China. 

19:20 A majestic performance by Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic to take her third Olympic gold medal and defend one of the two titles she won in Vancouver. 

Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic breaks the Dutch streak and wins the 5000m speed-skating title ©AFP/Getty Images



19:18 It is Norway, then the Czech Republic, then Italy at the moment in the biathlon relay and with Bjoerndalen passing over to yesterday's mass start winner Emil Hegle Svendsen, can Norway be stopped?

19:14 All four members of the Norwegian team in the biathlon have won medals so far in Sochi and they are looking on course to do it again. Ole Einer Bjoerndalen is underway - and he is in the lead. 

19:06 Germany's Claudia Pechstein may be the Olympic Record holder in this event but she can only finish fifth today and Martina Sablikova takes the gold medal for the Czech Republic.

Forget the ice hockey shock, surely the Netherlands not winning gold is the bigger story? They still get silver and bronze however - a third runners-up sport for Ireen Wust in Sochi to go with her one gold - while Carien Kleibeuker takes bronze. 

19:04 We are also underway in the biathlon mixed relay. Seen as the best chance yet for Ole Einer Bjoerndalen to win a 13th Olympic medal. His team lie second behind the Czech Republic on the second leg. What a few minutes for the Czech Republic...

19:02 Two of the biggest names in the sport...and its Sablikova who wins by three seconds and, as expected, the pair go first and second on the leader board. 

Revenge for Sablikova there for her defeat to Wust in the 3,000m earlier in the Games. There is only one more pair left who can snatch gold away from the Czech.

18:56 But, after a relative lull during that match the medals action is heating up now elsewhere in Sochi.

In speed skating the two gold medal favourites are currently on the ice. Martina Sablikova, the defending champion from the Czech Republic and Ireen Wust of the Netherlands  who has already won a gold and two silver medals this week in Sochi.

18:52 Jubilation for Finland who after securing their first gold medal of the Games, have had a pretty good afternoon. But a huge, huge disappointment for Russia who have never found their best form in this tournament.

It is fair to say that tomorrow's newspapers here will not be happy reading for the players.

Despondence for Russia as they crash out of the ice hockey competition ©Getty Images



18:45 And there it is. The Fins celebrate wildly on the ice. They are saying that this is a huge shock. I am not so sure and always thought people were wrong to write off the Finns. But there is no doubt, it was a brilliant performance by the country and they were fully deserving of their victory. 

Finland will now play Sweden in an all Scandinavian semi-final.

18:44 Into the final minute of the ice hockey and Russia are about to be knocked out of the men's competition here.

18:37 We have a new leader in the speed skating and, would you believe it, it is an orange clad skater representing the Netherlands. Carien Kleibeuker iis the first to break the seven minute barrier today as she clocks 6 min 55.66 sec. 

It is also her first race in Sochi and her only previous Olympic participation was 10th place in this same event during Turin 2006.

18:33 This really has been a master-class by Finland. Russia are pushing forward but the Finns are standing firm and if I was picking the most likely scorer right now I would probably pick Finland on the counter.

2 more medals for @swissteam! Gold for @PatriziaKummer from my home canton Valais & silver for Nevin Galmarini. Very proud of you all!
- Swiss IOC member and President of FIFA Sepp Blatter congratulates Swiss snowboarders on their medal success today in Sochi.

18:27 Back in the Bolshoy, Russia need a goal and they need it quickly. There are less than ten minutes left and they remain 3-1 down against Finland. 

18:19 Mari Hemmer of Norway remains out in front in the speed skating as Stephanie Beckert of Germany slots into second place. All the Dutch skaters are still to come though...

What does the Netherlands make you think of? Tulips, clogs, windmills, bicycles? Well, add speed skating to that list. They have so far won 19 medals and six golden ones in the sport and have more chances to come...

18:16 This picture says it all. Disappointment etched on the face of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and President Vladimir Putin as their team continues to trail Finland 3-1 in the third period. 

The emotions of Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin will be replicated on the faces of most Russians at the moment ©Twitter

18:06 Russia lead Finland on the shot count 24-17 after two periods in the ice hockey. But it is not shots that count and they trail 3-1 in the stakes that matter. Finland's goalkeeper Tuukka Rask has been outstanding so far. 

Big final period coming up though for both teams.

17:58 Mari Hemmer, of the new medal table topping country of Norway, is the current leader in the 5,000m speed skating. She went four seconds faster than Anna Chernova of Russia while Fujimura of Japan is now third. Still a long way to go though...

Mixed emotions in the ice hockey as Finland celebrate taking the lead over Russia ©Getty Images



17:53 Into the final two minutes of the second period here. Russia are pushing forward but some heroic defence from the Finns and they remain 3-1 ahead.

17:45 It is the early stages of the women's 5,000m speed skating and Shoko Fujimura of Japan is the leader. She stopped the clock at 7 min 9.65 sec.

17:39 Speaking of the ice hockey - today's venue the Bolshoy Ice Dome is one of many arenas in Sochi which has had huge input from Olympic sponsors Dow in creating the perfect conditions for play. Reporter Nick Butler was taken on a tour of the Ice Dome to see just how far this involvement spans and his article, in the sustainability section of insidethegames, can be read here. 

17:36 Russia are pushing forward but Finland are still creating chances as well and currently lead 3-1 in a scoreline which is not as much of a shock as it may seem - when you remember that the Finns won Olympic medals at both Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010. 

"I didn't have the support I needed. The USOC and the USSA do a great job but not everyone can be happy. I don't hold a grudge. I am here now doing what I want to do and it's all good. I woke up this morning and realised I have already made it here. I've made all my dreams come true."
-Parallel giant slalom snowboarding gold medal winner Vic Wild on his change of nationality from the US to Russia and on the delight of competing at an Olympic Games.

17:32 It has got worse for Russia. They have fallen 3-1 behind to Finland. A tap-in by Mikhael Granlund and the host nation's ice hockey medal hopes are hanging in the balance here. 

17:29 Next up in terms of medals we have the women's 5,000m speed skating and will we see more Dutch success in the Adler Arena? It gets underway in a matter of minutes.

17:25 There is a tense, tense atmosphere in the Bolshoy Ice Dome at the moment. Russia have had several chances but Finland are holding firm and - at the moment - there could be a major disappointment on the cards for the home fans here.

17:15 We have been talking about Finland's first gold medal of the Games - but maybe we should hold fire just for the moment. A jury decision is in process after a collision between Sami Jauhojaervi and Tim Tsharnke during the last leg of the men's team sprint classic final. 

Tsharnke was in the lead group at the beginning of his leg but after that collision he finished more than 40 seconds behind and well outside the medal places. We will keep you posted over the decisions of the appeal.

17:07 It gets better for Finland. As the hooter blows for the end of the first period, they lead Russia by two goals to one. The 43-year-old veteran Teemu Selanne blasts home to send the Bolshoy into stunned silence. 

Finland celebrate their first gold medal of 2014 as they hold off Russia ©Getty Images



Bach offers support and sympathy to Ukrainian team

16:59 IOC President Thomas Bach has become the latest to offer his condolences to Ukraine.  

In a statement, he said: "I would like to offer my condolences to those who have lost loved ones in these tragic events. Our thoughts and sympathy are with the Ukrainian team at what must be a very difficult time.

"The way they have continued to represent their nation with great dignity is a credit to them and their country. Their presence here is a symbol that sport can build bridges and help to bring people from different backgrounds together in peace."

16:56 Amazingly that was Finland's first gold medal of the Games in the cross country. But, after a frantic afternoon, it is all change on the medals table as Norway dislodge long-time leaders Germany at the top. See the latest table here.

But there is much more to come this evening - with speed skating next up followed by biathlon and then bobsleigh.

16:53 Finland have hit back through Juhamatti Aaltonen and it is 1-1 with Russia in the ice hockey. Maybe my prediction was not quite so bad after all...

16:51 Sweden have beaten Switzerland 7-5 in the women's curling semi-final. So both matches have followed the form book and the Swedes face Canada in the final while Switzerland will face Britain - in a repeat of the Salt Lake City 2002 final - for bronze. 

16:49 There is a roar in the press room which can mean only one thing. Russia have scored - Ilya Kovalchuk with the strike - and they lead the Finns 1-0.

After predicting that Britain would shock Canada in the curling and then tipping Finland for an upset  in the ice hockey - it is fair to see I should not start visiting the bookmakers any time soon... 

16:45 And what a way to link in to the ice hockey which is just getting underway - Finland versus Russia. Will the Finns come out on top again?

16:40 A sensational finish to the cross-country and it's Finland who win the gold medal by less than a second from Russia - while Sweden take bronze.

Sami Jauhojaervi and Iivo Niskanen the winning team and 0.97 seconds the winning margin.

16:38 Finland and Russia have broken away here as Tim Tsharnke of Germany loses contact.

16:37 Canada are into the women's curling final. They hold their nerve in the final end and close out the match 6-4. But the other match is still going - with Sweden 6-5 up on Switzerland in the final end. 

16:32 Russia are leading the halfway point of the cross country relay and - if they stay in front - I think the cheers will be heard here in the Olympic Park. Wonderful atmosphere at the Laura Cross Country Centre but Germany, Finland and Switzerland are right there as well.

16:26 Meanwhile, we are into the final end in the curling - Great Britain have make it 5-4 but Canada have the hammer so it will be very tricky for Eve Muirhead's team here. 

16:19 It has been a frantic afternoon with four gold medals decided and not much time to picture them. But here are the four winners - from Switzerland, Russia, the US and Norway.

Switzerland's Patrizia Kummer slaloms her way to the first gold of the day
©Getty Images

Vic Wild stayed just about stays upright to win gold for his adopted country of Russia ©AFP/Getty Images



Ted Ligety celebrates after his historic giant slalom victory for the US ©AFP/Getty Images