Eight pairs down, nine to go in run one - and the top five are separated by almost nothing at all.

Austria's Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl lead the way after posting a track record.

Defending champions Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, who've never been beaten at the Olympics, are fourth.

1. Thomas Steu/Wolfgang Kindl (Austria) - 52.485
2. Emanuel Rieder/Simon Kainzwaldner (Italy) - 52.499 (+0.014)
3. Toni Eggert/Florian Mueller (Germany) - 52.579 (+0.094)
4. Tobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (Germany) - 52.582 (+0.098)
5. Martins Bots/Roberts Plume (Latvia) - 52.604 (+0.119)

Oh no! Juri Gatt and Riccardo Schoepf are absolutely gutted! They lose their line and with it, all of their speed as they enter the back end of the track.

With a time of 53.014, the Austrian duo are 0.529 off the pace.

Germany's 'Two Tobis' - the three-time Olympic men's doubles champions - are the third pair down the track.

Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt start their title defence with a run of 52.583, putting them in second place.

They trail Austria's Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl by 0.098.

Image source, Getty Images

Austria's Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl kick off run one of the men's doubles.

If only there were style points on offer in the luge - the trousers on their skinsuits look like red, white, and black flames and I like them a lot!

They set the pace with a track record of 52.485. They've put a marker down.

Image source, Getty Images

Men’s doubles (or doubles as was) has been an Olympic event since 1964 but only three countries – Germany, Austria, and Italy – have ever won gold.

And in recent years, it’s been all Germany. The two Tobis – Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt – have won doubles gold at the past three Games and are targeting an unprecedented quadruple in the men’s doubles and team relay. They are also six-time World Cup champions.

Latvian duo Martins Bots and Roberts Plume finished second at last year’s World Championships – ahead of Wendl and Arlt – and are eyeing their country’s first Olympic luge gold.

Also watch out for Austria’s Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl and Germany’s Toni Eggert and Florian Muller.

Lizzy Yarnold
Two-time Olympic skeleton champion on BBC One

There's only two-tenths of a second between first and second position [in the women's] at the moment, between second and third position there's about seven-tenths of a second.

That's actually quite a lot of time in the luge world, but we have seen some mistakes on the track. The Canadian pair had a major skid mistake and they ended up hitting wall-to-wall.

In a two-run race, they will be heading back to the changing room to get some fuel, relax and think about their technique.

They are all physically capable, it's just about who can bring it in the moment.

Right, let's get back to the Cortina Sliding Centre.

We've just had the first run in the women's doubles and it's hosts Italy who lead the way.

From 16:51 GMT, it's the turn of the men.

Two men, one sled, 80mph speeds, and the pair with the fastest combined time after two runs win gold. Easy!

Mark your cards! Here are the British names to look out for this evening...

Men's curling (from 18:05 GMT)

• Bruce Mouat's Great Britain face China in the round robin.

Figure skating ice dance - free dance (from 18:30)

• Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez (in 15th place after the rhythm dance) will be the fifth couple onto the ice.
• Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (4th) will skate 17th.

Ice hockey is one of few sports where you'll regularly see a mid-game dust-up. What's it all about?

Defending champions Finland are a goal down to Slovakia at the end of the first period after Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky fired in from close-range.

Remember, you can watch the pair's game at the top of this page and on BBC iPlayer.

The first third ended with a bit of fisticuffs but the referee has chosen not to penalise anyone.

Image source, Getty Images

• Switzerland's Franjo von Allmen won gold in the men's Super-G
• Jens Luraas Oftebro won Norway's seventh gold of the Games with victory in the Nordic combined men's individual 10km
• Defending champion Jakara Anthony (Australia) stumbled in women's moguls final to miss out on podium with 20-year-old American Elizabeth Lemley taking gold.
• GB's Makayla Gerken Schofield missed out on the women's moguls final, finishing 12th in the second qualifying round.
• Chloe Kim (USA) came through snowboard halfpipe qualifying as she bids to become the first snowboarder to win three consecutive Olympic golds in the same event.
• France's Julia Simon collected her second gold of the Games, winning the biathlon women's 15km. GB's Shawna Pendry came 88th.

One run down, three to go across the luge men's and women's doubles events.

Here are the timings for the rest of the sliding fun:

• 16:51 - Men’s doubles run one
• 17:53 - Women’s doubles run two (medal run)
• 18:44 - Men’s doubles run two (medal run)

Image source, Getty Images

Canada's Beattie Podulsky and Kailey Allan, who actually did well to keep their sled upright after a mistake on corner four, bring the first run of the women's doubles to a close.

The top five pairs are separated by less than half a second.

Italy's Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer lead the way in their home games and will be the last pair down the track in run two, which gets under way at 17:53 GMT.

1. Andrea Voetter/Marion Oberhofer (Italy) - 53.102
2. Dajana Eitberger/Magdalena Matschina (Germany) - 53.124 (+0.022)
3. Selina Egle/Lara Kipp (Austria) - 53.193 (+0.091)
4. Marta Robezniece/Kitija Bogdanova (Latvia) - 53.492 (+0.390)
5. Chevonne Forgan/Sophia Kirkby (USA) - 53.570 (+0.468)

Oh no! It's not a good first run from Slovakia. They're bouncing from wall to wall at the top of the run.

They finish with a time of 56.227, putting them more than three seconds off the pace. That's surely their medal hopes gone?

That's a good run from German pair Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina, recovering nicely from an early bump to finish just +0.022 behind the Italians.

Remember, they beat two-time world champions Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal in national qualifying to clinch Germany's spot in this event.

Image source, Getty Images

Five pairs have completed their first runs in the women's doubles and it's Italy (Andrea Voetter/Marion Oberhofer) who remain at the top of the standings with a time of 53.102.

Oh, there's a bit of a grimace from Selina Egle and Lara Kipp following a mistake late in their run, clipping a wall.

However, the Austrian duo - the defending world champions - are only 0.091 off the pace in second place.

Italy haven't won Olympic gold in any luge event since 2006 when Armin Zoeggler triumphed on home soil.

Could that change today? Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer have just set a new leading time of 53.102 in their first run.

Two down, nine to go.

John Jackson
Two-time Olympic bobsledder on BBC One

Over the men's and women's singles, we've seen that this track can throw anything at the athletes - at the top of the track, in the middle and at the bottom.

It is catching sliders out all over the track, so they will have to be consistent and focused on what they need to do from run one.