Exciting finishes have characterised Day 13 of the Sochi Winter Olympics.
(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
A gold-medal ice-hockey play-off went into sudden-death extra time, and the ladies figure-skating gold medal was decided on the final skate of the night.
"Canada has done it. They've won their fourth consecutive gold medal. What a finish! We went to overtime, we went to sudden death, and who would have thought it, four years after Vancouver when she was the hero, the goal-scoring hero, Poulin does it again in sudden-death overtime. And Canada come back from two-nothing down in this game, they win it in overtime by three goals to two. What drama! What drama in Sochi!"
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The moment, as called on broadcaster Channel 10, when Canada's women's ice-hockey team confirmed its greatness by defending its title at the Sochi Olympic Games.
It was Canada's fourth Olympic women's title and 20th straight victory in the Winter Games, dating back to 2002.
But for large swathes of the play-off, it looked as though the United States would dethrone the Canadians.
Canada had trailed two-nil late in the third period and appeared to be heading for defeat.
Then the Canadians came to life, scoring two goals little more than two and a half minutes apart to send the game into extra time.
And it was Marie-Philip Poulin who scored the equaliser 54 seconds before time ran out, then the winner in overtime for the 3-2 victory.
In the bronze-medal play-off, Switzerland won its first ever women's ice-hockey medal by defeating Sweden, 4-3.
Tension was also high late in the ladies figure-skating competition, with the gold medal decided in the final routine of the event.
Entering the Sochi Games, host Russia had never won a gold in the women's figure skating, but home fans had pinned their hopes on rising 15 year old star Yulia Lipnitskaya.
Stumbles in both the short and free programs, however, relegated Lipnitskaya to fifth place.
Russian disappointment at that result was turned to joy, though, when 17 year old Adelina Sotnikova leapt to the lead after her free routine.
And with the final routine of the event delivered by reigning Olympic champion Kim Yuna of South Korea, it was down to her to snatch the gold if she could.
"Kim Yuna does not retain the title, and the crowd is going nuts now at the realisation that the gold medal is going to go to the Russian, Adelina Sotnikova. What a competition that turned out to be. Russia has never won gold in the ladies event. So history tonight."
Kim won the silver and Italy's Carolina Kostner the bronze.
Sotnikova's victory was controversial Kim and Kostner both performed flawless routines, while the Russian made an error in hers.
Australian Brooklee Han moved up from 22nd after the short program to finish 20th overall.
Australian hopes for more medals at the Sochi Games are fading fast.
There was some hope for a medal in the women's ski halfpipe, with Amy Sheehan qualifying for the final, but tumbles in both runs left her 10th of the 12 finalists.
This is Channel 10's call of Sheehan's second run and the moment her medal hopes ended.
"Going for a medal for Australia, Amy Sheehan. // Second and final run. Come on, Amy Sheehan. Huge tail grab to start things off. There's the unnatural 540 that saw her come unstuck. There's the left 540 spinning both ways. The unnatural 720. // Oh dear, (it's) just not Amy's night, unfortunately."
Another Australian, Davina Williams, was eliminated in the qualification rounds.
The women's halfpipe gold went to the United States' Maddie Bowman.
France's Marie Martinod won the silver, and Japan's Ayana Onozuka takes home the bronze.
Australia's entrants in the men's ski cross were also well out of medal contention, with Scott Kneller and Anton Grimus both crashing in the opening round.
Kneller had to overcome a broken back he suffered in December just to compete in the Games.
He told Channel 10 after his elimination that he had hoped to be more competitive at Sochi.
"I broke a transverse processer, so I was out for a while. And, I don't know, for me it was about getting back here and just being competitive, and I was semi-competitive today. So I gave it a red-hot go, and, yeah, I was unfortunate not to make it any further, but that's the way it goes sometimes."
Three Frenchmen filled the ski cross podium, with Jean Chapuis winning gold, Arnaud Bovolenta the silver and Jonathan Midol the bronze.
Elsewhere, the Canadian women's curling team has completed the Sochi Games undefeated, winning gold and ending Sweden's hopes of a third successive Olympic title.
Canada defeated Sweden 6-3 in the final, pushing Sweden into the silver-medal position, while Britain won the bronze medal play-off, beating Switzerland 6-5.
Nordic combined is a combination of ski-jumping and cross-country skiing and the sole sport at the Olympic Games to still only be open to men.
The team relay at Sochi became a battle of three when Norway, Germany and Austria separated from the rest of the field after the initial ski-jumping phase.
And that continued in the decisive four-by-five-kilometre cross-country ski race.
Eventually, Norway surged ahead of Austria in the final section of the last leg to take gold from a fast-finishing Germany, with Austria taking the bronze.
