Emma Smith
BBC Sport at Milano Speed Skating Stadium

We have been treated pre-event to a drumming performance by a local youth group.

They were excellent, and it made a refreshing change from the usual pumping pop music.

Even Games mascot Tina got involved, the scamp.

Image source, Getty Images

Oceane Michelon gets past Tereza Vobornikova and it looks like gold for France.

Simon also gets past the Czechia woman and is on track for silver.

Not much to report from the women's bronze medal match in terms of big scoring.

USA have had the hammer twice and scored one on each occasion. Canada have had it once and scored one.

How does mass start work, I hear you ask?

Competitors begin simultaneously and skate 16 laps. The first lap is a warm-up, during which it is forbidden to overtake the designated lead skater.

For these semi-finals the designated skater is based on World Cup ranking.

If you are lapped then you must withdraw immediately.

Crossing the line, first, second or third guarantees a final position but the other rankings are determined by a points system. Intermediate sprints are held after the fourth, eighth and 12th lap with three points awarded for finishing first in a sprint, two for second and one for third.

Don't worry, it's a lot clearer when it's happening!

Tereza Vobornikova is working hard up the hill to try to hold off Oceane Michelon.

Will she win gold for Czechia?

Emma Smith
BBC Sport at Milano Speed Skating Stadium

Welcome to the final speed skating event of Milan-Cortina 2026, and potentially the most dramatic.

The mass start is the only individual event in which speed skaters compete directly against each other across the wide track. The top eight from each semi-final progress to the final.

There are two semi-finals, with the top eight in each progressing to the medal races - the men's is at 1540 GMT, the women's at 1615 GMT.

As we reach the closing stages, Vobornikova leads from Magnusson with Michelon and Simon battling for third.

Rob Walker
Biathlon and cross-country co-commentator on BBC One

Image source, Getty Images

This is going to come down to an absolutely burner on the last lap.

Michelon had enough of a lead that she's still in touch [after a penalty loop] but Simon is right back in the shape-up.

It can all unravel so quickly.

Oceane Michelon of France misses one of her shots and needs to do a penalty lap but still is in contention

Tereza Vobornikova of Czechia and Sweden's Anna Magnusson are the new pacesetters but Julia SImon is back challenging after a clear round. Big drama.

Rob Walker
Biathlon and cross-country co-commentator on BBC One

Image source, Getty Images

Nothing is certain in this event - other than that drama is guaranteed at the last shooting range.

Image source, Reuters

We have a new leader after the third visit to the range - France's Oceane Michelon after her team-mate Julia Simon missed one of her four shots which means she will be around 24 seconds back.

Sweden's Elvira Oeberg and Bulgaria's Lora Hristova, who like Michelon, shot clear rounds are the leading challengers but stlll plenty in with chances and another visit to the range still to come.

Rob Walker
Biathlon and cross-country co-commentator on BBC One

Julia Simon's got 24 seconds to make up [from the penalty loop]. Maybe it isn't destined to be four gold medals.

Rob Walker
Biathlon and cross-country co-commentator on BBC One

Image source, Getty Images

The Italians are so desperate for Dorothea Wierer to taste gold.

Image source, Getty Images

After the second visit to the range, the pace is being set by France's Julia Simon ahead of Germany's Janina Hettich-Walz and Sweden's Elvira Oeberg.

Justine Braisaz-Bouchet misses twice and with two penalty loops for her, her hopes are almost certainly over while Dorothea Wierer misses one and also drops down the field.

Rob Walker
Biathlon and cross-country co-commentator on BBC One

Image source, Getty Images

The biathlon is so unpredictable. It's two skill sets that should never be put together.

There are now three more visits to the range - everything could change - and mistakes at the range are costly because one penalty loop is 25 seconds and you have to come back out into traffic.

Image source, Getty Images

The leading contenders are leaving the shooting range for the first time and it is France's Julia Simon who leads from Dorothea Wierer of Austria after both shot five out of five. There was also a clear round for France's defending champion Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, which will give her confidence.

There are still six golds up for grabs on day 15:

• 13:15-14:15 - Biathlon women's 12.5km mass start
• 14:00-17:00 - Speed skating men's and women's mass start
• 18:00-21:00 - Two-woman bobsleigh (featuring GB's Adele Nicoll/Ashleigh Nelson)
• 18:30-21:00 - Freestyle skiing women's freeski halfpipe final (featuring GB's Zoe Atkin)
• 18:05-21:35 - Men's curling (GB v Canada)

Plus there's the women's curling bronze medal match between Canada and USA (which has just started), and the men's ice hockey bronze medal match between Slovakia and Finland (19:40).

Image source, Getty Images

Will Julia Simon add to her medal tally in the final biathlon event of these Games?

The Frenchwoman has three golds in the mixed and women's relays plus 15km individual less than four months after being convicted of committing credit card fraud against national team-mate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet.

A fourth victory would be a historic achievement and put her amongst illustrious company with Soviet speed skater Lidiya Skoblikova the only woman to win four gold medals at a single Winter Games in 1964.

The key for Simon is shooting – in mass start there are four visits to the range, and too many misses will negate her elite skiing speed. She nailed 19 of the 20 shots in the 15km contest and a similar showing could mean she disappears into the distance.

Team GB

Image source, Getty Images

Great Britain's four-man bobsleigh team spoke to BBC Sport, after their first two heats have left them in seventh place.

Pilot Brad Hall on day one: "Bit lost for words to be honest. We had a really good first run, third place and then the second run got away from us. Don't really know where so we're going to go have to go back and look at the videos and see what happened. It felt like a nice run to me but we lost some time.

"I could see some of the clocks on the way down the track and we were in the green at turn seven so it must have been something from that point onwards. I'm really not sure what happened there."

Crewman Greg Cackett on the danger of the sport after Austria's heavy crash in heat two: "It is a dangerous sport. Thankfully, the boys came back to the changing room so his crew are OK. Jakob [pilot Mandlbauer] is in hospital but he can move, he seems to be alright.

"It's a serious thing. We're here to compete but we're all mates and we never want to see people go down or their Olympic experience ending that way. Hopefully they're all OK and can go again tomorrow."

Crewman Leon Greenwood on GB's fast starts: "We're really proud man. The season hasn't gone the way we wanted it to. But today shows we're back. We knew this was going to be a dogfight, there's heat three and heat four and we're going to bring it. It's not over yet - we're excited for it."

Brakeman Taylor Lawrence on coming back into the team after missing the two-man: "Feeling really good, it was more precautionary. Obviously Leon did a fantastic job but happy to be back with the boys in the four-man."

Image source, Getty Images

• Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won his sixth gold of the Games, leading home a Norway 1-2-3 in the cross-country skiing men's 50km mass start, with GB's Andrew Musgrave sixth
• USA won mixed team aerials gold while Italy completed a one-two in the men's ski cross, with Simone Deromedis taking the gold medal
• World champions France won the inaugural Olympic ski mountaineering mixed relay
• Brad Hall's GB sled finished seventh in the four-man bobsleigh, with two runs to come on Sunday