Defending champion Bode Miller is in a pickle. In fact, it's more of a jam because he's just fifth fastest in the slalom and his combined time of 2:46.60 is only good enough for bronze, though it seems unlikely that the American will be holding that piece of metal by the end of this competition.

Graham Bell
Five-time Winter Olympic skier on BBC TV

"Austria do not have any combined all-round slalom specialists. Their competitors look like front row rugby union forwards played on the wing."

Image source, AP

And we have a new leader! Switzerland's Sandro Viletta replaces Adam Zampa at the top of the leaderboard. He negotiated the slalom course 0.21 seconds slower than Zampa but it's all about the combined score and, as it stands, Viletta's downhill and slalom runs are good enough for gold.

Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport in Sochi

It's Ted the Fled rather than Ted the Shred as favourite Ligety goes third with his slalom run in the combined. The American repeatedly bangs his helmet in the finish area. Plenty of names big and small waiting to nudge the World Cup leader further down the leaderboard.

Japan fail with their last stone in the seventh end to concede a whopping five shots to Britain. That seals a comfortable 12-3 victory for Eve Muirhead's team and the reigning world champions are now joint-third in the table after three victories and two defeats. The top four nations will progress to the semi-finals.

Fifteen riders remain at the top of the mountain and Slovakia's Adam Zampa is still the man to beat. He was 27th after the downhill but a super-duper slalom section ensures he's currently head and shoulders, or ski and stick, ahead of the rest.

You don't necessarily have to ski down the slopes, of course. If you miss a gate you can just slide on your belly, which is what Andrew Weibrecht did a moment ago. And it's a disappointing 52.22-second run from his compatriot Ted Ligety, who is third with a combined score 2:47.39.

Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport in Sochi

On Twitter:, external "Brilliant spectacle, this combined slalom. The ultimate exam via spring-loaded gate. Nowhere to hide, all the way to bear pit at finish."

Slovakia's Adam Zampa currently occupying first place with a combined total time of 2:46.34. The 23-year-old negotiated the gates in 50.11 seconds, which is quicker than anyone else.

Paul Williams:, external Look how soft the slalom course is!! Adam Zampa was throwing up a lot of snow!

Slalom specialist Alexis Pinturault weaves his way in between the gates, he's looking comfortable but, then, he misses a gate and the 22-year-old's challenge is over with a whimper. Much was expected of the Frenchman who won the World Cup combined event at Kitzbuehel a fortnight before these games.

GB skip Eve Muirhead's excellent form continues. She draws a perfectly weighted final stone in the sixth end to claim another two points. Britain lead 7-3 with four ends remaining.

Jason Mohammad
BBC Sport reporter in Sochi

Image source, BBC / jason mohammad

Not a bad view from my office today...

Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport in Sochi

This might strike you as odd. The slalom course for the men's combined is being set by Croatia's national coach Ante Kostelic. And whose dad is he? Yep, slalom specialist Ivica Kostelic, who is now many peoples' idea of the favourite after a decent downhill to put him only 0.93 secs back.

But while it might seem unfair - father setting the sort of gates his son might like to give him best chance - it's actually not unusual. In the World Cup, the course-setting duties are divvied up at random around the teams so skiers will regularly race on a course set by their own coach.

Defending champion Bode Miller will be the 19th racer to set off in the slalom and he will have to produce a special performance if he wants to end up singing his national anthem on the podium. That seems an unlikely scenario, however.

Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport in Sochi

In case you were wondering, the super combined was first introduced in Vancouver 2010 as a replacement for the combined. The super combined features one run of downhill and just one of slalom, as opposed to the two slalom runs in the old combined event, which was deemed to favour the slalom specialists.

However, the unseasonably warm temperatures at Rosa Khutor and the shortened downhill course means some are still not happy.

"Right now the downhill is so easy, so basic there is nothing challenging about it," said Bode Miller. "There is no way to put any time on the slalom guys. If they shorten the downhill, they should shorten the slalom, too, because a slalom is 50-seconds plus and you can really put a huge amount of time on guys. It's a pretty huge advantage."

The first racer of the slalom section for the men's super combined is at the start gate and will soon begin his 1160m descent down the mountain. The man charged with getting us under way is Slovakia's Klemen Kosi, ranked 30th (or last, if you want the straight-talking approach) after the downhill section.

Image source, Getty Images

Lynn Aoki:, external Re Jackie Lockhart - Eve Muirhead is likened to Sayla Mass, a Gundam Japanese anime character.

Here is a model of a giant Sayla Mass in a Tokyo art exhibit. Mass-lookalike Muirhead doesn't look quite so wooden or fearsome, of course, although she can be ruthless on the ice at times.

Dario Cologna's time of 38:29.7 was 28.5 seconds ahead of Sweden's Johan Olsson, who won silver. Indeed, the Swedes took two of the three top spots with Daniel Richardson (+38.8) securing the bronze.

Dario Cologna wins his second cross country skiing gold meal at these Games with victory in the 15km classic. Cologna, who won the skiathlon on Sunday, becomes the first skier to win an Olympic 15km race twice in a row.