Image source, PA

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time to bid you farewell. From the mountain slopes to the skating rinks, via the bobsleigh tracks and cross-country courses, Sochi has provided countless unforgettable and inspiring sporting moments, while turning athletes like Lizzy Yarnold and Jenny Jones into household names. There has been drama and emotion, elation and despair, comedy, tragedy, and plenty more besides.

It has been our pleasure to endeavour to describe the Games to you on these pages and we'd like to thank everyone who has contributed to the past 17 days of commentaries via texts, tweets, emails, Facebook postings and hand-written letters.

Let's do it all again in Pyeongchang in four years' time.

1) Three-way photo after ski cross finish-line chaos

A huge crash on the final jump wipes out the field and causes a three-way photo finish in one of the quarter-finals of the Olympic men's ski cross competition in Sochi. Switzerland's Armin Niederer was the only rider to go through on his skis, with Russia's Egor Korotkov, in the yellow bib, grabbing the second qualifying spot. Sweden's Victor Oehling Norberg (red) and Finland's Jouni Pellinen (blue), narrowly missed out.

2) Curling commentary by Sir David Attenborough

Legendary BBC natural history presenter Sir David Attenborough lends his famous tones to a curling commentary at the behest of Radio 1's Greg James. Attenborough describes the objective of curling: "The aim of this ritual is to land your walnut in the centre of the nest."

Before we wrap up our Winter Olympics coverage for another four years, shall we reveal which two Sochi moments you loved the most? Of course we will. Here are the two videos which take gold and silver on the BBC Sport website...

British snowboarder Billy Morgan - a former gymnast - made a spectacular entrance to the closing ceremony at the Fisht Olympic Stadium. Watch Morgan acrobatically bound and flip his way into the arena in a video posted by GB team-mate Ben Kilner on Instagram., external

Matthew Pinsent
BBC Sport reporter in Sochi

On Twitter:, external Thanks for all the tweets in Sochi. I'm off for a vodka, a haircut and a week where I won't talk ... At all. Cheers troops.

Amy Williams
2010 Olympic skeleton champion on BBC TV

"With the introduction of the new events like the slopestyle snowboarding, it has been an amazing Games to watch. I think these events will bring the Winter Olympics to a whole new generation of younger people. They will be asking their parents if they can try these sports somewhere near to where they live."

Been inspired by Sochi 2014? Find out where you can participate in winter sports on BBC Sport's Get Inspired page.

Rob:, external Despite everything that was said before the games, Sochi has been brilliant! Created a fantastic games.

Greg Starz:, external Really enjoyed the Winter Olympics, thought Russia hosted it pretty well & team GB certainly didn't disappoint!

Marianka Swain:, external #ClosingCeremony solemnly beautiful, but less fun for athletes than London I should think. You can't boogie to Rimsky-Korsakov

I'd imagine there are some twitchy legs among the athletes now - they will just want to get up and party! And now they can. The competitors are beckoned on to the dancefloor as some Russian DJ bangs out the anthems. Sochi's Olympic Stadium sounds like it has turned into your local nightclub, although it will not have the cheap alcopops and creepy drunks of course. That is the formalities of the closing ceremony over.

What were the defining moments of Sochi 2014? Which performance left the biggest impression on your mind? Who was the ultimate Winter Games superstar? BBC Sport presents a video of the Sochi 2014 awards.

GothBoyUK:, external It's always quite sad to see the Olympic flame extinguished. It's like the end of a wonderful holiday. Well done Russia.

Pete:, external Those mascots are exactly the sort of thing that would give me nightmares as a child.

The giant smiling bear is joined in the Olympic Stadium by hundreds of schoolchildren and they all symbolically wave goodbye to the watching world. And that means there is only one thing left - a spectacular firework display in the Sochi nightsky.

Image source, Getty Images

Sochi Bear winks to the crowd as he stands behind the Olympic flame - and you know what is coming. Bear blows out the flame before a solitary tear streams down his furry face. Only at the Olympics...

Emily Newton:, external So sad the Winter Olympics are over! @jennyjonessnow and Elise Christie were the athletes of the games.

Martin Jubb:, external When @TeamGB were dominating track cycling like the Dutch dominate skating the IOC changed the rules to stop it.

Tahmina Rahman:, external Going to miss the Winter Olympics. I've found a new group of games to love and support.

So Sochi 2014 is now shut. Closed. Ceased to exist. But wait, there is still time for one more important matter - Games mascot Sochi Bear saying his farewells to the crowd. The 50ft inflatable character is joined by his pals Hare and Leopard as they wander around the Olympic Stadium to the same instrumental music used in the closing ceremony at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

3) Incredible shot sends GB men into curling semi-finals

Great Britain skip David Murdoch plays an incredible final stone as the men's curlers beat Norway 6-5 in a play-off to reach the semi-finals at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The British quartet were trailing 5-4 going into the final end before Murdoch's final shot, which saw him take out the Norway stone to score a double.

Before officially declaring the Games closed Bach adds: "Thank you to the volunteers. Through you, everybody with an open mind could see the face of a new Russia: efficient and friendly, patriotic and open to the world. There is no higher compliment than to say on behalf of all participants and all my fellow Olympic athletes, these were the athletes' Games."

Image source, Getty Images

IOC President Thomas Bach: "Thank you Sochi! Thank you Russia! Athletes - you have inspired us over this last 17 days. You have excelled in competitions and shared your emotions with us and the whole world. You have celebrated victory and defeat with dignity.

"By living together under one roof in the Olympic village you send a powerful message from Sochi to the world, that of a society of peace, tolerance and respect. I appeal to everybody implicated in confrontation oppression and violence to act on this Olympic message of dialogue and peace.

"Tonight we can say Russia delivered all that it promised. What took decades in other parts of the world was achieved here in Sochi in just seven years. All the people of Sochi and Russia deserve our deep gratitude."

Dmitry Chernyshenko, president of the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee, steps up to the microphone to deliver a rallying post-Games speech. "Russia has delivered on its promise," he says to huge cheers inside the Olympic Stadium. He tells the athletes that the Games "belong" to each of them and goes on to thank fans, staff and volunteers for their efforts.

"We are all one team - the Sochi 2014 team," he cries to more generous applause. "This is a new face of Russia - our Russia," he continues. Every word uttered by Mr Chernyshenko, whether spoken in Russian or English, is greeted by rapturous applause.

Great Britain speed skater Elise Christie, who was disqualified from all three of her events: "I'm really thankful to everyone back home for their support," says the Scot, 23. "I probably would not have made it back on ice without it, they've lifted everyone's spirit. But I'm glad to be going back home."