It's a shame the fantastically named Argentine Jorge F Birkner Ketelhohn and Romania's Ioan Valeriu Achiriloaie are unlikely to challenge in the men's super combined, really, because it's not every day you get to type Jorge F Birkner Ketelhohn into a live text.

Achiriloaie crashes into the 'catch fence' and fails to compete the course. A DNF (in capitals) is placed by his name.

Two racers - Jorge F Birkner Ketelhohn and Ioan Valeriu Achiriloaie - to go in the men's super combined downhill and unless they have jet propelled engines attached to their skis they are unlikely to challenge leader Kjetil Jansrud.

Anna Thompson
BBC Sport in Sochi

Thomas Ulsrud (Norway skip): "I'm a married man, so maybe my wife will surprise me with something, but thanks for reminding me. I have to go get her something."

Carmen Kueng (Switzerland lead): "It does not have to be St. Valentines Day to give each other gifts. For us every day is special."

Wang Bingyu (China skip): "Maybe you could get me something."

Ryan Fry (Canada third): "You just reminded me of Valentine's Day. I guess I should say 'Happy Valentine's Day' to my girlfriend when I get outside. I'll probably go share a drink with her and that's about it."

Kim Jisun (South Korea skip): "It doesn't matter if it's Valentine's Day or a usual day, we train and we need to be with our team. It's not a special day for us."

Anna Thompson
BBC Sport in Sochi

BBC Sport asked some of the Olympic curlers what they're hoping for when - and if - Cupid pays a visit to Sochi.

Niklas Eden (Sweden skip): "Last time was the first year I even knew what day it was. I'm not much of a Valentine's guy."

David Murdoch (GB skip): "My wife's at home, so maybe I should think of sending something back to her. Thanks for reminding me."

Jill Officer (Canada second): "That depends on how prepared my husband was gift-wise before he came to Sochi."

Erika Brown (US skip): "The fact that my husband is here and he arrived today, that's a pretty big gift, so I'll take that."

Image source, Getty Images

Ever wondered what Alexis Pinturault looks like in full flight? No? That's a shame. It sort of ruins my entry, really. The Frenchman won the World Cup combined event at Kitzbuehel a fortnight before the Games. The 22-year-old got plenty of air on the downhill section today, perhaps too much, and is 2.44 seconds behind current leader Kjetil Jansrud. His best World Cup results this year have been in the slalom and giant slalom, though, so he might not be out of the equation.

Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport in Sochi

Bode Miller, the defending super combined champion, is not ruling out back-to-back gold medals in Sochi despite finishing the downhill part of the event 1.43secs off the pace of Norway's Kjetil Jansrud. Miller, 36, said: "I won it on the slalom in 2010. There's no holding back at this point. I don't think anyone has enough of a cushion. It's going to be full-on attack and risk and whoever sticks it gets the medals."

Emma Carrick-Anderson
Four-time Winter Olympic skier on BBC TV

"It was the right decision to move the event an hour earlier. We saw how the course cut up after [turn] six or seven. At the top, it was firm but after that it really softened up and I'm surprised it did not get worse. Luckily it didn't as it could've got dangerous."

The downhill section of the men's super combined started an hour earlier than scheduled because of safety concerns.

Image source, @Sochi2014

The Sochi 2014 Twitter account:, external "There's a party atmosphere up at the men's super combined this morning. #Sochi2014

Let me tell you a story about the course for the blue riband event. It is one of the longest and most challenging in the history of the Games and after a steep and fast start, there are constant turns, minimal gliding sections and some big jumps - including the Lake Jump. During a test event in 2012 Aksel Lund Svindal said the course was "what downhill is all about", though Bode Miller has been less complimentary. That's the end of that particular story.

Some of you may not be familiar with the old super combined. The event involves two runs; a downhill followed by a slalom run. The times are, well, combined, with the skier notching the fastest total winning gold. We don't have to worry about the artistic merit of McTwists and chicken salads, which is somewhat of a relief at this hour.

Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport in Sochi

It's Ted 'not so much of the shred' Ligety as America's combined World Cup leader is sluggish in the downhill and crosses the line 1.93 seconds back. He might have to straight-line the slalom as might countryman Bode Miller, whose sixth Olympic medal probably won't be happening today with a similarly pedestrian downhill. Miller, always seemingly a millisecond from disaster, is 1.43 seconds back and with slalom specialists such as Ivica Kostelic higher up the board. His goose looks cooked.

Graham Bell
Five-time Winter Olympic skier on BBC TV

"Bode Miller still has a chance of getting on the podium, but I can't see him getting to the top of the podium."

American Miller, who won the super combined gold medal in Vancouver, is 1.43 seconds behind current leader Kjetil Jansrud after the downhill event.

Image source, @pcosullivan

Philippa O'Sullivan on Twitter:, external My boyfriend is taking the Winter Olympics a bit too seriously.

[Ed, I'm not sure it's wise to even to pretend to downhill ski on a coffee table with cans of beer and a bottle of wine by your side. Does the alcohol count as performance enhancing?]

You can send us pictures of you trying to recreate Winter Olympics events by using the hashtag #bbcsochi. We will try our best to publish as many as we can.

Image source, Getty Images

There are a few hours to go until the women's skeleton reaches its conclusion so let's not whip ourselves into a frenzy just yet. In an attempt to calm the nerves, we'll catch up with the men's super combined where Norway's Kjetil Jansrud (pictured)has set the pace with a time of one minute, 53.24 seconds. American Bode Miller was 1.43 seconds slower and is currently 12th but the standings will all change, of course.

Six gold medals to be won today: Alpine skiing (men's super combined), biathlon (women's individual), cross country skiing (men's classic), figure skating (men), freestyle skiing (women's aerials), skeleton (women).

Britons in action: Amanda Lightfoot (biathlon), Andrew Musgrave, Callum Smith and Andrew Young (cross country skiing), GB curling teams, Kristan Bromley, Dom Parsons, Shelley Rudman and Lizzy Yarnold (skeleton).

Day in a sentence: Will Lizzy Yarnold emulate Amy Williams and bring home skeleton gold for Britain?

"I was just totally in my zone," said 25-year-old Yarnold, who clocked 58.43 and 58.46 on Thursday for a combined time of 1:56.89.

I don't want to be accused of hyperbole but Yarnold's advantage is greater than the 0.3 second lead fellow Briton and 2010 champion Amy Williams held at the halfway point four years ago.

Image source, Getty Images

Yarnold and her team-mate Shelley Rudman, who ended the day 11th, will take to the track for their third run at 15:40 GMT.

Lizzy Yarnold, the heptathlete turned slider, is in prime position to win Britain's first gold of these Winter Olympics after dominating the first day of the skeleton competition.

After two of the four runs, the World Cup leader heads the standings by 0.44 seconds, which is a million miles in skeleton terms. Admittedly, that's a slight exaggeration but it's enough of an advantage over her nearest rival Noelle Pikus-Pace to get us all hyperventilating in excitement.

It was a life-changing gold medal-winning routine by Torvill and Dean and their flawless Bolero remains the only perfect score in Olympic skating history. On the 30th anniversary of that unforgettable performance will Lizzy Yarnold stir the passions on Valentine's Day and create another golden moment which people will remember down the generations?

Thirty years ago today a shy Nottinghamshire couple captivated the nation. For four minutes and 18 seconds millions held their breath as they watched the pair balletically float around the ice; enchanting, dazzling, wooing to the haunting sound of bass clarinets, oboes and flutes. Exquisitely they weaved around the rink, arm in arm, blade by blade, until the soul-stirring music reached a crescendo and the dancers, breathless, slid to the floor. Those who looked on were left open mouthed. Sporting perfection had been reached.

Image source, Getty Images