Fans of Olympic athlete Simone Biles were on the edge of their seats as they watched her falter after a previous string of flawless performances.
Earlier today, the 27-year-old American had been hoping to add to her impressive collection of ten medals, but she narrowly missed out on achieving gold after slipping off the balance beam. Countryfile's Matt Baker clearly hadn't anticipated her slipping into fourth place as the crestfallen commentator agonised: "Well, it just wasn't to be! C'est la vie for Simone on beam."
He then stopped abruptly in the middle of presenting the BBC coverage to listen in on the feedback Simone had for her team. Matt - a former gymnast himself in his younger years - told the audience: "She's talking about the atmosphere, she's talking about people shushing - we've talked about it and the atmosphere in here is like a cauldron when those gymnasts are on."
He then insisted the tension around her, especially from the crowds, could have been the reason for her errors. "I think it's the atmosphere, I really do," he declared, adding: "We hardly ever see Simone in these situations."
The star had previously taken time out from competitive sport, turning down the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 due to the pressures on her mental health and sparking disappointment from Piers Morgan. However, fans on Twitter didn't agree with Matt on what could have caused her performance anxiety.
READ MORE: Simone Biles shows true colours with podium actions after missing out on gold [LATEST]
One angry fan wrote: "#BBCOlympics gymnastic commentators losing their s**t about Simone Biles having cameras thrust in her face after she fell off the beam is ridiculously ironic seeing as they have basically made the entire Olympics about her & screamed like groupies at every single move she's made."
Another echoed: "There's a certain irony in the #BBCOlympics gymnastics commentators complaining about the media attention on Simone Biles, when she has been their sole topic of conversation throughout these #OlympicGames."
Meanwhile, a third blasted Matt's emotionally charged reaction, complaining it was "cringe-worthy".
"Flood warning announced in Paris as it's predicted BBC presenter and Biles' cringe-worthy cheerleader Matt Baker might not stop crying for a fortnight #Paris2024," they wrote.
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However, there was still controversy elsewhere, with some fans praising the coverage as they watched Simone claim silver in Monday's individual event.
"Absolutely loving the gymnastics commentary. Matt Baker’s enthusiasm is infectious," one exclaimed.
Meanwhile, despite Christine Still previously admitting she needed to "filter" her criticisms of athletes, she had strong praise from some who said having a female commentator was a breath of fresh air.
"Really enjoyed @christinestill2 taking prominence over Craig Heap and Matt Baker in the #BBCOlympics #Gymnastics commentary for the beam performances," one fan wrote.
