ALL THE NEWS, ACTION AND REACTION LIVE FROM SOCHI 2014 AS IT HAPPENS!

By Zjan Shirinian
Click refresh for latest updates. All times stated are Russian 

Until tomorrow...

22:07 Day six of the Paralympics is due to see three sets of medals won in men's slalom. We will also have the two ice sledge hockey semi-finals: Russia versus Norway and Canada versus United States. And it's the last day of the wheelchair curling round robin matches, with eight games to be played.

We'll be live blogging it all from 09:00 (05:00 GMT). So until tomorrow, thank you for your company, and goodnight.

22:03 So that brings to an end the action on a busy day five in Sochi, where nine sets of medals were won.

Russia won four of six cross-country golds today, but perhaps the star showing was from Brian McKeever. The Canadian took a tumble early in his 1km visually impaired race, but gritted his teeth to snatch back the lead late on and claim a ninth career Paralympic gold.

It was also a good day for Germany, who won two women's slalom golds. One of those results, in the sitting category, has been protested after Anna Schaffelhuber was disqualified for a false start. But even if she is promoted into first - having completed her second run under protest - it will still be a win for Germany. A decision is expected on the appeal tomorrow, and only if she is successful will we find out what time Schaffelhuber clocked in her second run.

21:57 And that's that, Czech Republic beat Korea 2-0. The Czechs will play Italy to decide fifth and sixth in the classification, while Korea will play Sweden to decide seventh and eighth in the ice sledge hockey standings.

Behind-the-scenes work giving athletes key to Paralympic glory



21:50 "Motor racing style" repairers Ottobock have carried out 180 jobs for Paralympic athletes in the first half of Sochi 2014, including adapting wheelchairs and fixing equipment. Full story here.

21:45 Tomas Kvoch has all but sunk Korea with a goal, Czech Republic now lead 2-0 with five minutes on the clock.

21:39 Korea a man up with the power play midway through the third period.

21:27 Can Korea get back on level terms? The third period is underway.

21:12 End of the second period at the Shayba Arena.

21:01 A reminder that the winner of this match will play Italy for fifth place in the ice sledge hockey competition. The Italians earlier beat Sweden 3-2 in overtime after coming back from 2-0 down.

Jong-Kyung Lee of Korea (right) collides with Michal Geier of Czech Republic during their ice sledge hockey match ©Getty Images



20:53 Jiri Berger breaks the deadlock to give the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead over Korea.

20:45 We're back underway at the Shayba Arena, with the second period.

20:32 End of the first period, and it's 0-0 between the Czech Republic and Korea in the ice sledge hockey.

20:12 Korea with the best of the chances in the first period up to now, but no score as yet.

19:46 After a long lull in action, the Shayba Arena is about to get noisy as the Czech Republic play Korea in an ice sledge hockey classification match. It begins in a quarter of an hour.

"I could not go easy, I needed to go hard from the start. I knew that they were coming and I could feel them down my neck. It was a good race."
- Multiple Summer Paralympic medallist Tatyana McFadden, of the United States, on being pipped to victory in the 1km sitting cross-country by Mariann Marthinsen of Norway.

18:58 The medal ceremony for the women's sitting slalom has been postponed because of a protest by Anna Schaffelhuber of Germany. She was disqualified after her first run, but an appeal against that decision will be heard tomorrow (see 16:29 for more). The event was won by countrywoman Anna-Lena Forster, but the results are provisional pending the outcome of that appeal.

"Wow, that was stressful. It wouldn't be right for me to tell you what I said in my head, but once the cuss words were out, the only thing you can do is get back up and race. I thought we were clear, but that is normal and it happens in sprinting when you are all fighting and tight. We are just fortunate it happened in the first 200 metres and not at the end so we had time to catch up."
- Canada's Brian McKeever on falling in a coming together early in the 1km cross-country final for visually impaired skiers, only to pick himself up off the snow and power to an unlikely win - his ninth at a Paralympic Games.

Brian McKeever celebrates an exceptional victory ©Getty Images



18:25 Just one final slice of sport today, and it comes in the ice sledge hockey, which has proved to be very popular at these Paralympics. The Czech Republic take on Korea in a classification match at 20:00.

18:10 Norway may have had the hammer in the last end of their curling match, but it's Russia who got the score. They steal one to win 6-5. The Russians were already through to the semi-finals, and given Norway are the only team to have beaten Canada, it makes the hosts prospects going forward look even better.

18:07 So Italy, against the odds, take the spoils in the ice sledge hockey. They trailed Sweden 2-0, but win 3-2 in overtime. The match stats show they had 34 shots to Sweden's 11. The numbers don't always tell the full story, but Italy pressed and pressed and pressed for the breakthrough, and kept going once they got it.

18:00 We're into overtime in the Italy versus Sweden ice sledge hockey match. The Italians scored two goals in the third period to recover a 2-0 deficit. 

And Gabriele Araudo has now scored for Italy in overtime to make it 3-2 in their classification match.

17:58 Just one curling match still being played after Sweden conceded to the United States to lose 8-3.

Norway and Russia are tied once again at 5-5, with Norway holding the advantage of the hammer in the final end.

17:31 Finland have thrown in the towel in their wheelchair curling match, with an 8-2 defeat at the hands of China after seven ends.

Norway are 5-4 up on Russia with two ends to play, while the United States lead Sweden 7-3, also with two ends up play.

17:27 Italy have pulled one back in their ice sledge hockey classification match against Sweden, they now trail 2-1.

17:08 Norway have scored two in the fifth end to push into a 5-3 lead over Russia. The Russians have already made it into the semi-finals thanks to an almost perfect competition record.

17:04 Sweden have doubled their lead over Italy in the ice sledge hockey, it's now 2-0 with the third period to come.

16:49 In the curling, Norway and Russia are locked together at 3-3. China are 4-1 up on Finland, while the United States lead Sweden 5-2.

It's all to play for at the Ice Cube Curling Centre ©Getty Images



16:44 Sweden have ended the deadlock in the ice sledge hockey, now 1-0 up on Italy as they play the second period.

Schaffelhuber protest

16:29 Anna Schaffelhuber of Germany was disqualified from the sitting slalom earlier. She had led after the first runs, but was deemed to have made a false start (see 11:53). We understand Schaffelhuber has completed her second run under protest, and her appeal will be heard tomorrow. Only if her appeal is successful will her time be released.

The race was won by countrywoman Anna-Lena Forster of Germany, ahead of Canadian Kimberly Joines and Laurie Stephens of the United States. But that podium is now in doubt.

16:17 Three tight games in the curling thus far, in complete contrast to this morning's matches. Russia have taken the lead against Norway, with the score 2-1. Sweden lead the United States by the same scoreline, while China are 2-0 up on Finland.

16:05 It's goalless in the early stages of the ice sledge hockey classification match between Italy and Sweden.

15:49 First ends completed, and first scores on the board in the three curling matches. China lead Finland 2-0, the United States are 1-0 up on Sweden and Norway are also 1-0 up on Russia.

"Tori Pendergast & @JessGallagher86 both achieved top 10s in the slalom today, but our Sochi medal search continues."
- The Australian Paralympic Committee remain on the medal hunt in Sochi.

15:27 Action at the Ice Cube is about to begin. The round robin stage concludes tomorrow, so there are not too many more chances to get into the top four and guarantee a semi-final berth.

15:05 There are two classification matches coming up in the ice sledge hockey. Italy play Sweden at 16:00, and Czech Republic face Korea at eight to decide positions five to eight.

The Untied States and Canada will play each other in the semi-final, while the other semi-final will see Russia take on Norway. Both games are tomorrow.

14:56 Curling and ice sledge hockey still to come on day five.

Three curling matches at the Ice Cube get going at 15:30: China versus Finland, Sweden versus the United States and Norway versus Russia.

Russia's medals table dominance


14:50 Frantic action then as six cross-country gold medals were won in 45 minutes.

Russia are now the most successful nation at a Winter Games since Germany in 2002, who won 17 gold medals. With the home team one away from that tally, they are likely to be chasing Norway's 29 golds won in Lillehammer 1994. But there were 133 golds awarded at those Games, versus 72 at the Sochi Games.

Whichever way you look at it, Russia have been unstoppable. They have 10 more golds than Germany, who won two of their own today in the slalom skiing. See the full medals table here.

14:37 A fourth cross-country gold in six races for Russia, with Mikhalina Lysova winning comfortably. Elena Remizova joins her countrywoman on the podium, with Ukraine's Oksana Shyshkova in third.

14:35 Mikhalina Lysova of Russia leads the pack midway.

14:32 The women's 1km visually impaired race will wrap up the cross-country action for today. Three Russians and a Ukrainian in this one.

14:29 What an unbelievable recovery. Canada's Brian McKeever, who fell early in that race, grits his teeth and powers past Sweden's Zebastian Modin late on to win the 1km and claim his ninth Paralympic gold medal. Oleg Ponomarev of Russia wins bronze.

14:27 He's giving it his all after that fall, as Swede Zebastian Modin is reeled in by the Canadian.

14:25 Brian McKeever has fallen. He seemed to have a coming together with another skier. He is up and back in the race.

14:22 The men's visually impaired 1km begins in a few moments. Two Russians among the four finalists, but attention will be on Canada's Brian McKeever as he goes for his ninth Paralympic gold and second of these Games.

14:20 It's gold for Anna Milenina of Russia, with Iuliia Batkenkova of Ukraine holding off Russian Alena Kaufmanto win silver.

14:18 Anna Milenina of Russia has a substantial lead.

14:15 And the race is on.

14:12 The women's standing 1km is up next. Three Russians, two Ukrainians and a Finn racing for gold.

14:10 Vancouver 2010 silver medallist Kirill Mikhaylov pulls off a round-the-outside overtake coming onto the finish straight, and just holds off Rushan Minnegulov by 0.3 seconds. Vladislav Lekomtcev completes the all-Russian podium.

Kirill Mikhaylov held on to head an all-Russian podium ©Getty Images



14:05 The men's standing 1km now. The Russians can feel confident, they have all six finalists!

14:03 That's Norway's first gold of these Games, Germany's first medal that isn't gold of these Games, and the United States' ninth medal. But still their wait for gold continues.

14:00 Incredible! Mariann Marthinsen of Norway draws alongside Tatyana McFadden, who race side-by-side to the line. Marthinsen wins by 0.1 seconds, with German Andrea Eskau in third, 0.9 seconds behind. A fantastic finish.

13:59 Tatyana McFadden leads United States team-mate Oksana Masters but they're all bunched together.

13:58 Andrea Eskau of Germany and Tatyana McFadden have a 10 second start advantage before the other four begin their chase.

13:57 And they're underway in the women's 1km sitting.

13:55 This race features Tatyana McFadden of the United States, who has won 10 medals at Summer Paralympic Games.

13:54 The women's sitting race is up  next. Two Russians, two Americans, a Norwegian and a German racing for gold.

13:52 Roman Petushkov wins a fourth gold medal at Sochi 2014 with a superbly timed performance in the 1km sitting cross-country. Russian team-mate Grigory Murygin is second, with Maksym Yarovyi of Ukraine third.

Roman Petushkov is racking up the gold medals in Sochi ©Getty Images



13:50 Maksym Yarovyi of Ukraine has a 20 second start advantage because of his disability.

13:49 Frantic racing in front of a noisy crowd as the snow falls, as it has done for much of the day.

13:47 We've got our gold goggles on now, because they're going to come thick and fast with back-to-back 1km cross country finals.

First up is the men's sitting race. Three Russians, two Americans and a Ukrainian in this one.

13:45 That gold is Germany's sixth of these Games, and strengthens their second place in the medals table. They have yet to chalk up either a silver or a bronze. The United States' wait for a gold continues, scroll down to 10:45 for more on that.

13:42 It looked a little tentative, but sit skier Anna-Lena Forster wins Germany's second slalom gold in less than 30 minutes. Kimberly Joines of Canada is 0.81 seconds behind on combined times, with Laurie Stephens of the United States winning bronze.

13:41 Anna-Lena Forster is on the course.

13:40 That's the lead for Canadian Kimberly Joines. Can Anna-Lena Forster of Germany hold her nerve?

13:39 Kimberly Joines of Canada is the penultimate skier. She had a 0.92 second deficit to Anna-Lena Forster, who is next up.

13:38 Laurie Stephens of the United States, who trialled the leader by 2.45 seconds after this morning's first run, moves to the top of the timesheets by 6.10 seconds.

13:36 Claudia Loesch of Austria takes the lead in the slalom - three more to come.

13:33 Back to the women's sitting slalom, where the five quickest skiers after the first run are left to take to the course.

13:31 Just the women's visually impaired 1km semi-finals to come before the first of six finals, which is due to begin in just under 20 minutes.

13:29 Canadian Brian McKeever remains on track for a ninth Paralympic gold medal, as he sets the quickest time in the semi-finals for the men's 1km visually impaired cross-country. Three other racers will join him in the final to be run later.

13:27 The decisive second runs in the women's sitting slalom have begun. Anna Schaffelhuber of Germany temporarily led after the first run, but has been disqualified after an apparent illegal start. Her countrywoman Anna-Lena Forster has therefore been promoted into the lead, holding almost a second advantage on Canada's Kimberly Joines.

13:24 Russian Natalia Bratiuk was quickest in the semi-finals for the women's 1km standing cross country. Ukrainians Oleksandra Kononova and Iuliia Batenkova could provide the stiffest competition for her.

13:23 Russia will finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th in the men's 1km standing cross-country final. Their athletes dominated both semi-finals, with the final featuring six men.

13:19 That's a sixth Paralympic medal, and a first gold, for Andrea Rothfuss in her third Games.

13:18 It's gold for Andrea Rothfuss of Germany in the women's standing slalom. Inga Medvedeva of Russia wins silver, with Slovakian Petra Smarzova claiming bronze.

13:17 Finally, Andrea Rothfuss of Germany can start her run.

13:16 This is quite some delay. There appears to be a mini committee meeting going on out on the course.

13:13 Gangnam Style is playing at the Alpine Centre. We approve. Wonder if they'll be playing that in four years' time in Korea?

13:11 A long delay in proceedings as Andrea Rothfuss waits nervously for what should be a gold medal winning run. Not clear why there's a delay, but repairs are being made to the course by the looks of it.

13:03 Anna Jochemsen of the Netherlands, who trialled standing slalom leader Andrea Rothfuss of Germany by more than two seconds after the first run, has an untidy ski and falls to sixth. Just the leader to come.

12:55 Erin Latimer leads a Canadian 1-2 in the women's standing slalom. Seven women still to take to the course for their second run.

12:53 The 1km standing semi-finals in the cross-country are just getting underway, with the men first up.

12:52 Andrea Eskau of Germany was the fastest in the women's 1km sitting semi-finals. 

12:51 In the men's sitting 1km, three Russians are among the six finalists. Roman Petushkov was the fastest across the two semi-finals.

12:50 The 1km cross-country semi-finals have begun. Those who qualified earlier are split into two heats, with the top three in each advancing to the final later.

12:47 The second run of the women's standing slalom has begun. Leader Andrea Rothfuss of Germany will be the last of the 12 skiers to complete her run, after her team-mate and pre-competition favourite Anna Schaffelhuber was disqualified from first for an illegal start.

12:44 A real storming run from Aleksandra Frantceva, who turned a 0.55 second deficit to a 0.65 second win. Jade Etherington has three medals from Sochi so far.

12:42 Gold for Aleksandra Frantceva of Russia. Britain's Jade Etherington wins her second silver of the Games, finishing 0.65 seconds behind on combined times. Bronze for Henrieta Farkasova of Slovakia.

Aleksandra Frantceva has won Russia's 12th gold medal of the Paralympics ©Getty Images


 
12:41 Great Britain's Jade Etherington is the last skier. She's on the course.

12:40 A small mistake from Aleksandra Frantceva but she storms through the finish line to set a combined time of 2:01.24 - she leads.

12:39 Aleksandra Frantceva of Russia was 0.55 seconds behind the leader after the first run. What can she do in her second run?

12:38 Good racing from Henrieta Farkasova, whose combined time of 2:02.94 won't be easy to beat.

12:37 Henrieta Farkasova of Slovakia is next out. She was 1.33 seconds behind leader Jade Etherington after the first run.

12:36 Jessica Gallagher is up but makes a mistake near the bottom of the course. She completes the run, but is bottom of the timesheets.

12:35 Jessica Gallagher of Australia up now. She was several seconds quicker in the first run than those who have just skied.

12:34 Danelle Umstead of the Untied States is guaranteed a top five finish. Her combined time is 2.56 seconds quicker than Millie Knight.

12:32 Britain's Opening Ceremony flagbearer Millie Knight, aged 15, is the leader for now with a total time of 2:18.77, that's 2.28 seconds quicker than Staci Mannella.

12:31 Teenager Staci Mannella, 11 seconds behind the leader after the first run, completes the course.

12:29 Staci Mannella of the Untied States will be the first of the seven visually impaired skiers to complete her second slalom run.

12:27 The skiers will go in reverse order, with the fastest in the first run last out for their second run. The fastest combined time wins.

12:25 With German skiers leading both the standing and sitting slalom, they could be in for an exciting 45 minutes or so at the Alpine Centre. Their races will follow the visually impaired second slalom run, which begins in five minutes.

12:20 The next curling action is at 15:30, with three matches in the Ice Cube: China versus Finland, Sweden versus the Untied States and Norway versus Russia.

12:12 With two matches still remaining, Canada and Russian have already qualified for the wheelchair curling semi-finals after comprehensive wins over Korea and Great Britain respectively this morning. They have both won six matches and lost one.

12:08 Three of the 10 visually impaired skiers did not manage to make it to the bottom of the run earlier, so seven women will contest the medals. Last up will be Great Britain's Jade Etherington, who already has a silver and bronze from these Games and leads Aleksandra Frantceva of Russia by 0.55 seconds after the first run. After a wait of 38 years for a first Winter Paralympic gold, Britain may get two in 48 hours.

11:57 Everything has been shuffled along by half an hour in the alpine skiing programme today, after that 30 minute delay at the start of proceedings because of the weather. So the second and decisive run in the women's visually impaired slalom will begin at 12:30. The standing and sitting runs will follow.

Schaffelhuber disqualified



11:53 Downhill champion Anna Schaffelhuber of Germany has been disqualified from the sitting slalom, having topped the timesheets earlier. It's not clear why at the moment, but the assumption is that she may have missed a gate. Her countrywoman Anna-Lena Forster will therefore go into the second slalom run later as the new leader.

UPDATE: An illegal start appears to be the reason for the disqualification.

11:51 The six cross-country semi-finals, to decide who will contest the medals, get underway at 12:30.

11:49 Mikhalina Lysova leads a Russian 1-2-3 in qualification for the women's 1km visually impaired cross-country

11:40 Canada's Brian McKeever, who won an eighth all-time Paralympic gold on Monday, qualifies top in the 1km men's visually impaired race. Russian Oleg Ponomarev is right behind him, and could be his biggest opponent come the final later.

11:37 A great atmosphere in the Ice Cube as Russia score five in the seventh end to see off Great Britain. They win 11-2.

11:29 Two ends to play in the four curling matches. Russia and the United States both 6-2 up on Great Britain and China respectively. Canada lead Korea 6-4, while Slovakia are 8-4 up on Norway.

11:27 The visually impaired races are next up in the 1km cross-country qualification round. The men are already on the course.

11:20 Oleksandra Kononova of Ukraine heads the 12 women who have qualified for the 1km standing cross-country.

Paralympics "exceeding all expectations"



11:18 International Paralympic Committee President Sir Philip Craven has heaped praised on the Games, lauding the performance of the athletes and the turnout and enthusiasm of the spectators. And organisers say ticket sales and marketing revenue from the Paralympics have already broken records.

Canadian viewers embrace the Games

11:07 The opening weekend of the Paralympics drew 15 per cent of the Canadian population to the coverage provided by the CBC-led Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) Broadcast and Digital Media Consortium, according to the CPC

It says approximately 5.3 million Canadians watched at least part of the TV coverage, including Friday's Opening Ceremony, up to Sunday night.

Coverage includes more than 90 hours of TV broadcasts, as well as more than 250 hours of digital streaming across all platforms

11:00 Russia have ominously claimed the top five positions in qualifying for the men's 1km standing cross-country. Sergey Lapkin heads the pack, and his countrymen claimed seventh and eighth positions too.

The women are about to take to the course for their 1km standing qualification.

10:55 Halfway in the curling and most of the games being played have convincing leaders. Russia are 4-1 up on Great Britain, while China trail the Untied States 4-0. Slovakia are 6-1 up on Norway and Canada lead Korea 5-2.

10:45 The United States have yet to win a gold medal at these Winter Paralympics, with three silver and four bronze so far. They still have plenty of chances to change that, not least in ice sledge hockey, but it's worth noting the United States have not come away with any less than four gold since they failed to medal at the first Games in 1976. They won four gold, five silver and four bronze in Vancouver 2010. 

10:40 Russia and Ukraine have been the major players in the biathlon so far at these Games, and it seems cross country also plays to their strengths. Their athletes have secured the top four qualifying slots in the men's 1km sitting category. Roman Petushkov heads the list of 12 qualifiers, with the semi-finals to come later.

Mariann Marthinsen of Norway has topped qualifying in the women's sitting event.

10:39 First runs complete in the sitting slalom, and it is Anna Schaffelhuber leading from her German team-mate Anna-Lena Forster. Kimberly Joines of Canada is in third. The second run is scheduled for 12:30.

10:30 Downhill champion Anna Schaffelhuber makes it a German 1-2, as the pre-competition favourite powers to a 1.34 second lead.

10:24 Anna-Lena Forster of Germany goes 0.92 seconds quicker to take the lead.

10:23 A mistake late on for Kimberly Joines, but she survives the scare and sets a decent time. Let's see what the rest can manage against that benchmark.

10:22 Eleven skiers in the sitting slalom, with Kimberly Joines of Canada about to get things going.

10:20 Into the third ends in the curling, and Slovakia have stolen two to lead Norway 5-0. Russia lead Great Britain 4-0, with the United States 2-0 up on China and Canada 3-1 up on Korea.

10:19 The women's sitting slalom should be getting going shortly after that 30 minute delay first-thing because of the snow and fog.

10:17 The first of the two standing slalom runs are complete, and it's Andrea Rothfuss of Germany who leads Anna Jochemsen of the Netherlands by 2.45 seconds. The second run is due to start at 12:10.

10:10 Huge shock - Marie Bochet falls at the top of the course. She smacks her pole on the snow in disgust. The French fans in the crowd look gutted.

10:09 Downhill and super-G gold medallist Marie Bochet of France is about to start her standing slalom run.

"It's finally snowing in #Sochi Real white snow!!!!"
- US Paralympic snowboarder Nicole Roundy is revelling in the white stuff.

10:04 The Americans are not having the best time of it today on the slopes. Super-G bronze medallist Stephanie Jallen falls, minutes after countrywoman Allison Jones also lands on the snow. Both appear to be OK.

10:03 Cross-country qualification is underway, with the men's 1km sitting category up first.

09:59 Andrea Rothfuss of Germany takes a convincing lead in the standing slalom.

09:54 Six cross-country gold medals will be won today, all in 1km sprint categories. Qualification for the first of these begins in a few minutes, with the semi-finals starting from 12.30 and the first of the finals from 13:48.

09:52 Very early days in the curling, with just one end completed in all four games. But Slovakia have made big progress, scoring three with the advantage of the hammer in their match against Norway.

09:50 The women's standing slalom is up next. Eighteen women competing, with Marie Bochet of France likely to be the one to beat.
 
09:48 So it's Jade Etherington of Great Britain who leads after the first slalom run. She has a silver and a bronze from these Games, what chance a gold? She has a slender 0.55 second lead over Aleksandra Frantceva of Russia, so still plenty of work to do. The second runs are due to begin at 12:00

British pair Jade Etherington and guide Caroline Powell have the lead in the visually impaired slalom ©Getty Images



09:46 Bizarrely, one of Melissa Perrine's skis seemed to detach itself.

09:45 It's over before it begins for Melissa Perrine of Australia, who tumbles out of the slalom no sooner than leaving the gate.

09:43 Aleksandra Frantceva is a second up midway down the course, but an untidy finish for the Russian sees her lose time. She goes second, half a second behind Jade Etherington.

09:42 Jessica Gallagher of Australia slots into third, 3.22 seconds off the pace.

09:40 Kelly Gallagher is up on her British team-mate's time, but just as she did yesterday in the super combined slalom, she takes a tumble and is out.

09:37 A fall for Jae Rim Yang of Korea towards the bottom of the course. Cheers as she skis away unhurt. Jade Etherington of Great Britain leads after four of 10 racers.

09:36 The four curling matches are underway at the Ice Cube. We'll keep you posted on the scores.

09:35 Ten women are competing in the visually impaired slalom, including three from Great Britain. The fastest combined time from today's two runs wins.

09:27 It's still snowing, but race officials are happy the visibility has improved enough for the slalom to get underway after a 30 minute delay, and it does look much better out there. The visually impaired skiers will be up first.

09:24 Our first guaranteed sporting action of the day will come at the Ice Cube Curling Centre in a few minutes, where four round robin matches will get underway.

Russia play Great Britain, the United States are up against China, Norway face Slovakia and Canada take on Korea as the battle for a place in the semi-finals intensify.

09:22 We also saw the last of the round robin action in the ice sledge hockey yesterday, with the semi-finals now confirmed. Russia will play Norway after the home side beat the Untied States yesterday, while Canada will face their North American rivals.

Today will see classification matches to decide places 5th to 8th in the competition. Italy play Sweden at 16:00, while the Czech Republic take on Korea at 20:00.

Russia's dominant day

From left, silver medallist Alexey Bychenok, gold medallist Roman Petushkov and bronze medallist Grigiry Murygin celebrate their Russian 1-2-3 in the men's 12.5km sitting biathlon ©Getty Images



09:15 The delay gives us a chance to reflect on yesterday's action, which saw crushing dominance by Russia in the biathlon. Their four victories now see them on 11 gold medals.They still have a long way to go to catch Austria's record Paralympic gold medal tally of 34 set in 1984, when there were some 30 more medal chances, but it's hard to see them being caught with Germany next up in the Sochi table with four gold.

09:08 We're getting some nice arty slow motion replays of the snow falling as gate judges assess the conditions. Lovely.

Slalom delayed by fog and snow

09:04 The snow is falling at the Alpine Centre, but the fog is making for a murky setting. Officials have delayed competition until at least 09:30 in the hope the visibility improves. We could be in for another day of delays.

09:02 Women's slalom races in the visually impaired, sitting and standing categories have been brought forward to this morning. Two runs are planned, with the fastest combined time winning gold. The visually impaired run is due to go off now, but the fog is back.

09:00 With a re-shuffling of the alpine skiing programme after yesterday's fog forced the postponement of some races, we've got an unexpected visit to the slopes on what was set to be a rest day for the skiers.

08:57 Hello and welcome to insidethegames' live blog from day five of the Sochi 2014 Paralympics. Nine sets of medals are due to be won today across skiing and cross-country.