South Korea's Kim Yu-Na bids to become just the third woman to win back-to-back Olympic figure skating titles Thursday as the Sochi Games felt shockwaves from Ukraine's bloody civil unrest.
South Korea's Kim Yu-Na waits for her marks in the Kiss and Cry zone after performing in the Women's Figure Skating Short Program at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the Sochi Winter Olympics on February 19, 2014
Kim, 23, opened up a narrow 0.28 point lead over Russian teenager Adelina Sotnikova in Wednesday's short programme as she attempts to join fellow double winners, Norway's Sonja Henie and Germany's Katarina Witt, in the record books.
Witt, the Olympic champion in 1984 and 1988, said she hoped Kim would triumph in the free skate.
"I think it's about time. Yu-Na is an incredible figure skater. She has every chance to become a part of our little club. She seems to be at ease with everything and she is in really good shape," said Witt.
Fifteen-year-old Julia Lipnitskaia, carrying the burden of Russian hopes after the quarter-final exit of the country's vaunted ice hockey team, found the pressure too much in the short programme on Wednesday and is down in fifth after falling.
However, 17-year-old national champion Sotnikova lifted home hopes with a rousing skate to "Carmen", which brought the 17,000-capacity crowd at Iceberg Skating Palace to their feet.
Italy's Carolina Kostner is sitting third with less than a point separating the top three skaters.
In early free-skate action on Thursday, Japanese two-time world champion Mao Asada ended her Olympic career in tears after a tumble the previous day cost her the chance of an elusive gold medal.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian alpine skier and her coach pulled out of the Olympics on Thursday in protest at the authorities' deadly use of force against the protests in Kiev.
At least 67 people have been killed in two waves of violence between protesters and riot police that first broke out on Tuesday, Kiev city authorities said.
Bogdana Matsotska and her coach Oleg Matsotskiy, who is also her father, said they were "outraged" by the refusal of President Viktor Yanukovych to favour dialogue.
"In a sign of protest... against the bandit-like actions against protesters, we are taking no further part in the Sochi Olympics in 2014," Oleg Matsotskiy wrote on his Facebook page in a statement in the name of himself and his daughter.
Russia's ice hockey flops were feeling the heat of an angry media after they crashed out of the quarter-finals on Wednesday for the second successive Games, losing 3-1 to Finland.
"Shameful for a world power," screamed a headline in Sovietsky Sport.
- 'Inglorious defeat' -
The Moskovskiy Komsomolets complained: "The Russian team were knocked out with an inglorious defeat."
Six gold medals were up for grabs on Thursday with the women's ice hockey final again featuring Canada, who have won the past three gold medals, against the United States, the winners of four of the past five world titles.
In men's freestyle ski cross, Jean Frederic Chapuis led home a French clean sweep ahead of Arnaud Bovolenta and Jonathan Midol.
It was France's first winter podium sweep and also made the Sochi Games the country's most successful with 14 medals so far.
All-conquering Canada won their first Olympic women's curling gold since 1998, defeating Sweden 6-3 to avenge their defeat in the final on home ice at the Vancouver Games.
Skipped by Jennifer Jones, who took to the rink appropriately wearing golden eye shadow, Canada ended Sweden's hopes of a third successive Olympic title.
World champions Britain sealed bronze with a 6-5 win over Switzerland to ensure the country's most successful Winter Olympic Games since Chamonix, France, in 1924.
"It's a dream come true. This is the medal we've been missing and to win it with four of my best friends feels so special," said Eve Muirhead, who skipped Britain to the 2013 world title.
Britain has three medals in Sochi -- one gold and two bronze -- and are assured of at least a silver when their curlers face Canada in the men's final on Friday.
Norway beat Germany by a fraction of a second in a thrilling final sprint to take gold in the men's Nordic combined team relay for the first time since Nagano in 1998.
In the day's other medal event, Maddie Bowman of the United States is among the favourites in women's freestyle halfpipe, a new event at Sochi.