BBC viewers have been left outraged after a mistake by commentator Ed Leigh following Toby Roberts’ gold medal in the men’s combined climbing on Friday.
The Team GB star won his side’s 14th gold of the Olympics with a score of 155.2, pipping event favourite Anraku Sorato to secure the prestigious prize.
As Roberts stood on the podium, ‘God Save the King’ sounded out in celebration of his triumph.
But Leigh, commentating for BBC Sport, accidentally said ‘God Save the Queen’ instead. He said: “Very stirring rendition of God Save the Queen.
BBC viewers have been left outraged after a mistake by commentator Ed Leigh following Toby Roberts’ gold medal in the men’s combined climbing on Friday
REUTERS
“And in just his first full season of elite-level climbing, Toby Roberts has left his mark.
“A gold medal at the Olympics ahead of his arch-rival and good friend, Anraku Sorato, and one of the legends of the sport, Austria’s Jakob Schubert.”
God Save the Queen was the national anthem of Great Britain until September 22, when Queen Elizabeth II passed away.
It was renamed to God Save the King after her death at the age of 96.
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And viewers on social media were unimpressed with Leigh’s blunder, with one user saying: “Come on @BBCSport @Olympics woeful god save the Queen!!!! Wtf.”
A second said: “@BBCSportOlympic, if you’re going to present on TV, present correctly. When Toby Roberts stepped on the podium, the presenter said God Save the Queen when the national anthem was being played!”
A third stated: “Someone, please inform the BBC commentator Mike Langley/Ed Leigh that the Queen died in 2022; therefore, it’s God Save the King.”
Another said: “Is it not high time the commentators on the #BBC #OlympicGames knew that it’s God Save the King? Our beautiful Queen has been gone long enough now… surely!”
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And a fifth opined: “Fantastic performance from Toby. A little surprised at the end when the BBC commentator referred to the rousing rendition of God Save the QUEEN.”
Roberts, meanwhile, was blown away after winning gold in the men’s climbing.
The 19-year-old revealed it had been a long journey to the top of the sport – while also revealing his appetite for climbing started when he was a young child.
“Me and my dad created a plan to get to this stage,” he said.
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“It’s been a journey, a lot of competitions, ups and downs; to finally get to this stage in front of this crowd and win a gold medal is just a dream come true.
“I’ve always just liked to climb stuff.
“When I was younger, I was obviously climbing trees and climbing out of my little cot when I was a little baby.
“I always had a natural urge to climb. When I got introduced to an after-school club, I got instantly hooked and kept coming back for more.”
Toby Roberts poses with his gold medal at the Olympics
REUTERS
He continued: “To find out you’ve won Olympic gold, there’s definitely going to be a lot of shock there.
“Going into the competition I tried to remove all expectations and to realise that I’d won the gold was just a rush of adrenaline and emotion and happiness.”
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