Clare Balding breaks down in tears on the BBC during live Olympics broadcast

Clare Balding could not hold back the tears on Thursday night.

Presenter Clare Balding broke down in tears during the BBC’s live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Since the Olympics began last week, Balding, along with former Team GB athletes Mark Foster and Rebecca Adlington have been leading the BBC’s coverage of the swimming event from inside the La Defense Arena.

On Thursday night, before the swimming finals started, Balding paid an emotional tribute to Team GB’s tennis legend Andy Murray.

Murray’s illustrious career came to a close after he and doubles partner Dan Evans were beaten by Team USA pair Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

Balding said: “My word, hasn’t he shown us in the three matches he’s played here, everything he is about. It isn’t over until it’s over.

“And now sadly, it terms of a professional playing career, that is it, it is now over. And all we can say is thank you, thank you.”

At that point, there was a brief pause in the studio, a teary Balding then said: “I think you better say something,”

Adlington replied: “I’ve passed all the tears onto you. Don’t, you’re going to make me cry.”

 

 

Speaking after the match, three-time Grand Slam champion Murray said: “It felt good. I knew that moment was coming for the last few months. If it didn’t happen today, that was going to be in a couple of days’ time and I was ready for it. Obviously I was emotional because it’s the last time I will play a competitive match. But I am genuinely happy just now. I’m happy with how it’s finished.

“I’m glad that I got to go out here at the Olympics and finish on my terms, because at times in the last few years, that wasn’t a certainty. And even a few months ago, I was told when I first went to have my scan of my back and the issue that I had with it, I was told that I wouldn’t be playing at the Olympics and I wouldn’t be playing at Wimbledon.”

He added: “So I feel also lucky that I got that opportunity to play here and have some great matches, create amazing memories and, yeah, I feel good.”