If you mean the U.S. broadcast of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Terry Gannon, Nastia Liukin, and Tim Daggett were the main NBC gymnastics commentators. Laurie Hernandez also covered gymnastics as a reporter and contributor, a role different from calling the routines in the booth.
The team can change by Olympics, broadcaster, and viewing platform, so there is no single worldwide answer to whose commentating women’s gymnastics olympics. Here is who did what for NBC, how other feeds may differ, and how to check the team for a particular event or broadcast.
Answer to “whose commentating women’s gymnastics olympics”
For the U.S. NBC coverage of the Paris 2024 women’s gymnastics events, the main commentary team featured Terry Gannon, Nastia Liukin, and Tim Daggett. Gannon handled play-by-play, while Liukin and Daggett offered analysis of the routines, skills, and scores. Laurie Hernandez was part of NBC’s gymnastics coverage as a reporter and contributor, rather than one of the core booth commentators.
That answer applies to the named Games and U.S. coverage, not every Olympic broadcast. Olympic rights-holders in other countries hire or assign their own teams, and different television or streaming feeds can carry different commentary. If you are asking about another edition of the Olympics, look for that broadcaster’s announcement for the specific Games.
What each NBC commentator did
Knowing the roles helps you identify the voices you hear. A broadcast may cut between routine calls, short technical explanations, interviews, and features, so not every familiar voice is doing the same job.
| Person | Typical role in NBC coverage | What the role adds |
|---|---|---|
| Terry Gannon | Play-by-play announcer | Introduces the gymnast, follows the routine, and keeps the event moving. |
| Nastia Liukin | Gymnastics analyst | Explains execution, difficulty, and what makes a routine stand out. |
| Tim Daggett | Gymnastics analyst | Provides technical observations about skills, landings, and judging details. |
| Laurie Hernandez | Reporter and contributor | Adds interviews, athlete-focused reporting, and other coverage outside the core call. |
Play-by-play keeps the action clear
Play-by-play is the running description of what is happening. In gymnastics, that means naming the athlete, identifying the apparatus or rotation, and tracking the routine as it unfolds. The announcer also helps viewers understand when a team result or individual score is being added to the competition.
A strong play-by-play call is useful even if you know the sport well. Gymnasts can move quickly from one element to another, and a wide camera shot may make it hard to see a landing or connection. The announcer gives the broadcast a clear thread while the analyst adds detail.
Analysts explain the routine
An analyst adds context that a running description cannot fit into every moment. A gymnastics analyst may point out a balance check, a step on landing, a body-position issue, or a strong connection between skills. These observations explain why two routines that look equally impressive to a casual viewer may receive different scores.
Former elite gymnasts can also explain how difficult a skill is and what makes it risky. That perspective is helpful, but commentary is not an official judging decision. The score shown by the event officials is the result that counts.
Why the commentary depends on where you watch
The Olympic Games are shown by different rights-holders in different countries. NBC is the U.S. broadcaster for the Games in the United States, but its team is not automatically the team viewers hear in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, or elsewhere. Each broadcaster may use local presenters, analysts, or an international feed.
Even within one country, a television broadcast, a streaming presentation, and a replay can have different audio or editing. One option may carry a local studio team; another may use commentary produced for a wider audience. Some platforms also offer event coverage with fewer studio segments. The names and roles can therefore vary without anyone being replaced in the main television booth.
| What you are watching | Commentary you may hear | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. NBC television coverage | NBC’s event announcers and analysts for that Games edition | Viewers who want U.S. presentation and explanation. |
| A broadcaster outside the U.S. | The local rights-holder’s announcers or a shared international feed | Viewers who want coverage in their own region or language. |
| Streaming event feed | Event-specific commentary, a world feed, or a platform-selected audio option | Viewers following a particular session or apparatus. |
| Replay or highlights | Original event audio, edited commentary, or a studio voice-over | Viewers catching up after the live session. |
Practical tip: check the audio or event details for the exact session you are watching. A listing for the overall Olympics may not show whether that particular stream uses NBC’s booth, a local team, or an international feed.
How to tell a commentator from a reporter
Commentator, analyst, reporter, and host are related broadcast jobs, but they are not interchangeable. A commentator speaks during the competition. A reporter often conducts interviews or files updates from the venue. A host introduces segments and connects one part of the program to another.
That distinction explains why a well-known gymnast may appear frequently in Olympic coverage without being a routine-by-routine commentator. Laurie Hernandez’s reporting and contributor work gave viewers athlete interviews and additional context. It does not mean she was the main play-by-play voice for every women’s gymnastics event.
There can also be more than one team across a broadcaster’s coverage. A commentator may call one session, while a host or correspondent appears in a studio segment. A short highlight package can feature yet another voice because it was edited separately from the live event.
Why gymnastics commentary adds useful context
Women’s artistic gymnastics includes four apparatuses: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Each asks athletes to perform different skills, and each has details that may be difficult to judge from a quick glance. A knowledgeable analyst helps explain what viewers should watch without requiring them to know every rule beforehand.
For example, a vault has a brief approach, a powerful takeoff, flight, and a landing. Commentary can help viewers notice whether the gymnast is controlled in the air and how close the landing is to the center. On bars, connections and body shape can matter as much as the broad impression of speed and height.
On beam, small balance corrections may be easy to miss on a wide shot. On floor, the performance combines tumbling with choreography, and the broadcast may shift camera angles between passes. The analyst can point to an execution detail or a visible landing error, while the play-by-play voice keeps the routine easy to follow.
Commentary is an aid, not a substitute for the score breakdown. Gymnastics scoring includes a difficulty score and an execution score, with deductions applied for errors. The difficulty score reflects the value of the skills and connections recognized in the routine; execution deductions reflect faults such as steps, bent knees, or balance checks. The exact judging details depend on the applicable rules and event.
One common misunderstanding is that a routine with the biggest or most difficult-looking skills must receive the highest score. Difficulty is only one part of the result. A less ambitious routine can score strongly if it is performed cleanly, while a difficult routine can lose ground through execution errors.
How to find the commentators for a specific Olympics
If the year or session matters, use a few quick checks rather than assuming the Paris 2024 team will return unchanged. Broadcasters announce talent for each Games, and the details can be published separately for opening coverage, qualifying, finals, or studio programming.
- Identify the Olympics and event. Note the year and whether you mean women’s artistic gymnastics, a particular apparatus final, or another gymnastics discipline.
- Identify your country and broadcaster. Olympic commentary is tied to broadcast rights. A U.S. answer may not match the coverage in your country.
- Check the session listing. Look at the event page or program guide for the specific competition, not only the general Olympics schedule.
- Confirm the audio feed. If the service offers more than one stream or audio option, check which one is selected before the event starts.
- Separate the roles. A talent announcement may list hosts, reporters, and analysts together. Check which names are assigned to the event commentary itself.
These steps are especially useful for replays. A replay can use an edited version of the original broadcast, so its audio may not match a live stream or another platform’s version of the same routine.
What to listen for during a routine
You do not need to memorize the code of points to get more from the commentary. Start by listening for the difference between a skill description and an evaluation. A description tells you what happened; an evaluation points out how the execution may affect the result.
- On vault: listen for comments about height, form in the air, and control on landing.
- On uneven bars: notice references to handstands, transitions, release moves, and connected elements.
- On balance beam: listen for balance checks, pauses, steps, and whether a landing is controlled.
- On floor: follow the tumbling passes, landings, and the way the routine combines athletic and artistic elements.
These cues make the eventual score easier to understand, but they are not a promise of a particular number. Judges assess the complete routine under the rules, and a commentator may not know the final score until the judging panel posts it.
What the Paris 2024 answer does—and does not—tell you
The names Terry Gannon, Nastia Liukin, and Tim Daggett answer the question for the core NBC commentary team covering women’s gymnastics at Paris 2024. Hernandez’s reporting role is also relevant if you remember seeing her in NBC’s coverage. Together, those details help distinguish the competition call from interviews and studio segments.
They do not establish who will call another Olympics, who will cover every session on every platform, or whose voice a viewer outside the United States will hear. Those assignments are made by the relevant broadcaster for its coverage. For an event in a different year, check that edition’s official broadcast lineup and the listing for your own service.
If you are trying to identify a voice after watching a clip, check whether it is a live routine, an interview, or a recap. The context often tells you whether you heard the play-by-play announcer, an analyst, or a reporter. This is a small detail, but it clears up many mismatches between a familiar face and the voice people remember from the event.
For NBC’s U.S. coverage of women’s gymnastics at Paris 2024, the main commentators were Terry Gannon, Nastia Liukin, and Tim Daggett; Laurie Hernandez contributed as a reporter. The answer to whose commentating women’s gymnastics olympics depends on the Games, country, and broadcast feed.
For a different Olympics, check the broadcaster’s lineup and the specific session listing before tuning in. That will tell you whether you are hearing the live event team, a reporter, or an alternate stream.