Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland in Cortina

With multiple points not on offer in the first end - because of how the stones were lying - Bruce Mouat has opted to blank this first end so that Team GB keep the hammer.

Why would they do that? We asked BBC Sport commentator Logan Gray this yesterday..

"Your aim when you've got the hammer is to score at least two," he said. "So often, if you're not able to do that with your final stone, you are better 'blanking' the end so you can keep the hammer for the next end, and try and score more than one next time."

Jess Anderson
BBC Sport in Cortina

Tell me Italy are in curling action without telling me Italy are in curling action…

Image source, BBC Sport

We're going to have a new Olympic slalom champion.

Clement Noel, the reigning champion, straddles one of the early gates and that's him out. A disappointing end to his title defence.

Since the slalom was introduced to the Winter Olympics in 1948, no-one has ever successfully defended their title.

Could Clement Noel change that today? The Frenchman won gold at Beijing 2022 and he has good form going into this event, having managed a podium-finish in all four of his World Cup starts this season.

But he wasn't at his best in the first run, finishing seventh - 1.96 seconds behind leader Atle Lie McGrath.

Image source, Getty Images

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland in Cortina

Those who know better than me reckon Bruce Mouat's rink should win this match-up nine times out of 10, which bodes well.

There's also a sense that five wins might even be enough to guarantee a semi-final place. The British rink have four so far, but the world champions will want a couple more in their final three matches just to make sure.

Matt Chilton
Alpine skiing commentator on BBC Two

A hugely disappointing second run for Billy Major after his brilliant first run this morning.

Major unable to take command of his second run.

Image source, Getty Images

It's not the run Billy Major would have wanted. He was constantly losing pace with leader Eirik Hystad Solberg and he ultimately finishes 1.51 seconds behind the Norwegian.

The GB racer finds himself in sixth with 12 riders to go.

It's time for Team GB's Billy Major. Off he goes...

Richard Winton
BBC Sport Scotland in Cortina

After suffering their second defeat in six round-robin games last night, the Team GB men could do with a wee settler in their only match today to edge closer to the semi-finals.

Norway are the opponents. They've won three of their five matches so far, so it won't be easy.

But Bruce Mouat's rink are world champions for a reason... and they've absolutely aced the LSD so will start with the hammer. Fun fact, on 85% of the occasions when they've done that, they've won.

BBC Two

Grab your remotes! Our coverage has swapped over to BBC Two.

It's getting faster and faster in this slalom. Dave Ryding's time on the podium is very short-lived as the next three racers put down quicker times.

Switzerland's Iten Matthias is in the gold-medal position now with a time of one minute 56.23 seconds to beat.

Two more skiers to go and then it's Billy Major's turn.

Dave Ryding has been pushed off the podium rather quickly. Switzerland's Daniel Yule goes 0.58 seconds faster and the GB racer drops into second.

Matt Chilton
Alpine skiing commentator on BBC One

Dave Ryding is in gold-medal position and leads the Olympic slalom!

One of only two riders born in the 1980s. An outstanding ambassador for British snow sport and alpine skiing as a whole.

Image source, Getty Images

Dave Ryding moves into the gold-medal position!

The 39-year-old Briton takes a bow as he crosses the finish line.

We'll have to wait and see how long Ryding stays at the top of the leaderboard, but what a way to sign out of your final Olympics.

Off goes Dave Ryding... One last time.

What can he manage on his final Winter Olympic slalom run?

Image source, Getty Images

Chemmy Alcott
Four-time Olympic alpine ski racer on BBC One

I hope Dave Ryding has it within himself to just go out there and leave everything on the hill.

But it's really important we don't see this as an ending, he's going to cross this finish line for the last time today, but what he's done is open the door to so many generational talents.

Anna Thompson
BBC Sport in Bormio

The heavy snow has cleared and it is above zero in Bormio. Let’s see how the course holds up in these softer snow conditions.

You can’t see the top of the slalom from the finish area so fans have to watch the start on the big screen but as soon as the skiers come into view there are big cheers.

There’s a big British fan contingent here, waiting to cheer Ryding and Major down the piste.

Image source, BBC Sport

Three more racers before Dave Ryding heads out on his last-ever Olympic run.

The current leader is Andorra's Xavier Cornella Guitart with a total time of two minutes 1.96 seconds.

The shin pads that these racers use are absolutely massive. You wouldn't catch a Premier League footballer wearing those!

The skiers are heading down the slope at a serious rate, crashing into the gates, so it's not surprising they need something to protect their lower legs.

Image source, Getty Images

The slalom takes place over two courses on the same slope, but only the top 30 skiers advance to the second course.

Skiers have to pass through a series of gates. Failure to do so results in disqualification.

The two times are added together and the athlete with the fastest combined time at the end of the two runs wins gold. Nice and simple.

Image source, Getty Images