THE Olympic Games are well underway and fans can’t get enough of Paris 2024.
The BBC has chosen a whole host of presenters to cover the Games which includes a stellar line-up of gymnastics commentators.
Matt Baker leads the BBC‘s team of gymnastics commentators at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Countryfile star has been providing expert analysis in Paris, and it is the fifth time he has worked for the Beeb at the Olympic Games.
Long before being known for shows like The One Show, Baker was a keen gymnast while growing up.
Speaking to the TV Times about his experiences, he said: “It makes me laugh when people ask, ‘Why is the guy from Countryfile commentating on gymnastics?!’
“But yes, I love the eclectic mix of things that I do and have done.”
Baker performed at a national level as a kid, before having to quit aged 14 due to anaemia.
Previously opening up about life as a young gymnast, he told the BBC: “Gymnastics was kind of a natural fit.
“I used to bounce around all over the place. I’d be climbing trees and grappling up anything. It just clicked with me.
“It was something that I loved, and I didn’t have to think about whether or not I wanted to go.”
Christine Still is also an expert in this sport having kicked off her career as head coach at Loughton Gymnastics Club in 1972.
She is now the head coach at Park Wrekin Gymnastics Club in Telford.
Over the years she has coached many Olympic stars, which includes Team GB‘s Alice Kinsella who is competing at 2024 Paris.
Still has been part of the BBC’s gymnastics commentators team for the last six Olympic Games.
Craig Heap is also part of the line-up of BBC gymnastics commentators.
He is certainly an expert in the field having represented England over 100 times, and Team GB at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Heap also captained the men’s team to their first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in 1998.
Since retiring he has switched to a TV career and is known for shows like Blue Peter and Tumble.
As a sports pundit, he covered London 2012 and Rio 2016 for BBC Radio 5 Live before moving onto BBC Sport.
Elizabeth Kimberly “Beth” Tweddle MBE is a retired artistic gymnast.
She was the first British female to win medals at the European Championships, World Championships and Olympics.
Tweddle competed at three Olympic games, winning a bronze medal in 2012 on uneven bars.
She is also esteemed for being the first female gymnast from Great Britain to win a medal at the European Championships, World Championships and the Olympic Games.
The women’s all-around final will start at 5.15pm.
Day 1 opens with the men’s floor exercise final, beginning at 2.30pm.
The women’s vault final starts at 3.30pm and wraps up with the pommel horse final which starts at 4.10pm.
Day 2 begins with the still rings final, beginning at 2pm.
Next is uneven bars at 2.40pm followed by the men’s vault final at 3.25pm.
Medals for all three events will be presented after the vault final.
Day 3 brings four event finals, two for the women and two for the men.
The competition begins at 10.45am, with the men’s parallel bars.
There will be a medals ceremony and then it’s balance beam at 11.35am.
There’ll be a victory ceremony after.
The men’s high bar final is scheduled to begin at 12.30pm and there’ll be a medals ceremony right after.
The last gymnastics event at the Paris Games is the women’s floor final, which begins at 1.10pm.
As of August 1, 2024, Japan have won two gold medals in gymnastics.
While USA have scooped one gold medal and one bronze.
China have taken two silver and one bronze.
Italy have one silver and Brazil have a bronze.
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY...
TODAY’S BRIT MEDAL HOPES
Water takes centre stage on Day 6 as Joe Clarke eyes canoe slalom kayak gold (4.30pm).
In the rowing, the women’s four should claim gold while the men’s four and women’s double sculls will know they can get on the podium, too (10.15am).
And after our men won the 4x200m freestyle relay, the women could add a medal in the pool tonight (8.48pm).
BRITS TO WATCH
Defending champ Beth Shriever and Tokyo silver medallist Kye Whyte begin their BMX racing event at the quarter-finals (from 7pm).
Bryony Pitman (9am), Penny Healey (4.14pm) and Alex Wise (5.05pm) are all in archery action.
Andy Murray’s swansong with Dan Evans continues – they face Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals (3.30pm).
And the golf starts today, meaning Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick will tee off for GB, with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry flying the flag for Ireland (from 8am).
GLOBAL STARS TODAY
World No1 Scottie Scheffler leads an all-star USA golf team, though, alongside Open champ Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark.
French Open champ Iga Swiatek is the heavy favourite for the women’s tennis singles gold ahead of her semi-final before Carlos Alcaraz then Novak Djokovic go in the men’s quarters (from 11am).
FANCY SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
Volleyball is an ever-present throughout the Olympics, running from Day 1 all the way to Day 16, all of it in the catchy-named South Paris Arena 1.
Tokyo runners-up Brazil face Japan (12pm) and hosts France vs China (8pm) in the pick of the clashes.
STATS MAD
3:50 – Who doesn’t love a competitive brisk walk?
The athletics officially begins with the men’s and women’s 20km race walks today (6.30am and 8.20am).
The world record is a staggering 1:16.36 – that’s an average of 3m50s per km while WALKING.
Follow all the action as it unfolds with our Paris 2024 Olympics LIVE blog.
