Professional atheletes,amateur commentary

There is nothing quite like amateur commentary to ruin a decent highlights package. There sat the very tidy Gabby Logan putting together an equally tidy edition of Games Today on the BBC, and well, what a day it had been for team GB. Chris Hoy had raced to victory in the men's sprint, Victoria Pendleton had done exactly the same for the girls, a very polite Jamaican named Germaine Mason had won high-jump silver for Great Britain and Christine Ohuruogu had slugged her way through the 400 metres final to win a gold that glittered almost as brightly as her smile.

It was yet another day to savour, that is until Mrs Logan invited Christine Ohuruogu to commentate on the closing stages of her final. "What was going through your mind at this point?" she asked as VT rolled. Nothing. Silence. Then loud rustling noises as Ohuruogo fondles her gold medal which is clearly hanging next to her microphone. "Err. I don't know really", Ohuruogo muses no doubt to handwringing and headshaking behind camera.

When the Olympic champion does eventually manage to string together a sentence or two to describe her race it transpires that she's telling us how well she ran in the semi-finals. Pity the BBC had only cued up VT for today, the greatest minute of Ohuruogo's career, and not the previous day's race then.

Perhaps Mr Mason would be more illuminative. In honour of his trip to the studio, the work experience kid had been forced to climb into the rafters of the studio and affix a sticker at 2 metres 34 centimeters up to show just how high our athlete had leapt to claim silver. Surely the least Mason could offer would be a brief description of how long his legs felt as he approached the bar, or perhaps his impressions of the conditions underfoot in the Bird's Nest.

Nope. Roll VT. More embarassing silence. Oh, hang on, that sounds like Gabby giving Mason a quick kick to remind him that he's commentating here. "Well, me coach told me to..." Too late, Germaine. You had your chance, we've got to cut to a set piece showing Matthew Pinsent at the beach volleyball. Still, thanks for the gold medal and thanks for coming in. We're all very proud of you. Perhaps stick to jumping over bars and not through hoops.