Luge involves hurtling feet first down a track on a tiny open sled at speeds in excess of 80mph.

There are four runs in the men's and women's events, two runs in the doubles and one in the relay, with the lowest aggregate time winning.

Competitors steer using their legs and shoulders; the smallest mistake can prove costly - luge is the only one of the sliding sports that is timed to one thousandth of a second.

After the disappointment surrounding Plushenko, we need a pick-me-up. Thankfully, the luge relay is right around the corner. So exciting.

Delia Piccinini:, external I don't think I have ever seen anything as heartbreaking as Evgeni Plushenko dropping out of this competition.

Having said that, he has already won one gold this week, so maybe we can take it easy on the sympathy. It's still a shame, though.

I'm hearing that Plushenko's issue was actually a back injury. The man in black had originally retired after winning gold in 2006, but returned to win silver in Vancouver four years ago. Since then, he has had knee and back surgery. Imagine waiting all your career for a home Games, then having to pull out but your event even starts.

Plushenko, the champion in Turin in 2006, was also part of the Russian team that won gold earlier this week. At 31, he was aiming to be the oldest gold medallist since 1928 and looking for his fifth Olympic medal overall. Now, his absence leaves the field clearer for Patrick Chan.

Robin Cousins
1980 Olympic figure skating champion on BBC TV

"Evgeni Plushenko came down quite hard on his foot which jarred his back. He has never been a light jumper.

"It was a sad sight to see."

All eyes on Plushenko? Not for long. The home favourite is out before he's even competed. Looking sick with nerves during the warm-up, a jump and spin ended with an awkward landing on his right ankle. He stayed on the ice for a little while, but then a chat with the support staff resulted in him limping away. The crowd applauded, but that is a national disappointment.

This men's figure skating competition is split into two parts. Today, 30 men go in the short programme, with the top 24 going through to tomorrow's free skate. Who should you be watching out for? Three-time world champion Patrick Chan is hoping to end Canada's wait for gold, while home eyes will be on four-time gold-medallist Evgeni Plushenko.

Image source, AFP

The inclusion of a team competition for the first time means there are five events, all performed to music.

Each event comprises two segments: a short routine, in which skaters must perform set technical elements, and a longer, higher-scoring routine which allows more creative licence.

A panel of nine judges score on choreography and technical proficiency.

Read more with our cheat sheet

"What's happening?" I hear you ask. I'll tell you. There is one more gold to be won on day six - in the remarkable luge relay. Much more on that later. For now, there is a round of group games in the women's curling (not involving Great Britain), and the short program of the men's figure skating.

Aimee Lewis takes her leave after crowning two gold-medal winners over the past hour or so. It's now Stephan Shemilt to take you through the rest of the day.

Image source, Getty Images

Lee Jackson of Great Britain, who finished 66th in Vancouver four years ago, crossed the line in 54 minutes 11.3 seconds with just one penalty from four shoots. He was over four minutes behind champion Martin Fourcade and ended up in 42nd place.

Here's a fact for you: Martin Fourcade becomes the first French athlete to win two gold medals at a Winter Olympics since Jean-Claude Killy in the 1968 Grenoble Games. You know Killy, the former Apline racer.

Ole Einar Bjorndalen was unable to win a record 13th Winter Olympic medal. The Norwegian finished a disappointing 34th.

Image source, Getty Images

Sharp-shooting Frenchman Martin Fourcade wins his second gold medal of the Games. Fourcade now has two precious metals thanks to his win in the men's 12km pursuit on Monday. Germany's Erik Lesser takes the silver while Evgeniy Garanichev wins bronze for Russia.

Wilf O’Reilly
Former Olympic short track speed skater on BBC TV

"China have had a magnificent day in the 500m and 1,000m events."

Image source, Reuters

Zhang Hong jumps for joy with her compatriots once she realised no-one has beaten her time of 1:14.02.

Joshua Scott:, external The Netherlands speed skating team are the Winter Olympics equivalent of Team GB's track cycling team in the Summer Olympics.

Two skaters remaining in the women's 1000m and they are Lotte van Beek of the Netherlands and South Korea's Sang Hwa Lee. China's Zhang Hong currently tops the time charts with a time of one minute 14.02 seconds.

Games organisers have moved the men's super combined downhill forward an hour to 10:00 local time (06:00 GMT) on Friday to take advantage of cooler conditions. It came on the back of a request from athletes after snow on the bottom half of the course began softening in the late morning heat.

Snow has not fallen in the Krasnaya Polyana region since 3 February but officials remain confident courses will not be affected.

Mikko Martikainen, chief executive of Snow Secure Limited, the firm advising the Sochi 2014 organising committee on snow management, insist all the mountain venues have adequate snow.

"All the snow that is needed was made in December and January," he said. "Natural snow could actually be an enemy at this point. If the course is ready and a metre of snow falls, it would be hard work to clean it."