Hernandez, a 24-year-old New Jersey native, won an Olympic gold with the United States team at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, as well as an individual silver in balance beam — finishing ahead of Biles, who took bronze. These are Hernandez’s second Olympics as part of NBC ‘s team, and her commentary Thursday and during the earlier team competition has been a delightful companion — part technical expertise and part eyes-wide-open wonder. As Biles and teammate Sunisa Lee, who earned bronze, enhanced their legacies on Thursday, Hernandez reacted with the earnestness that has marked her style in Paris.
The drama of the day started when Biles appeared to fumble through a section of her uneven bars routine, grimacing and shaking her head following her dismount.
“Oh my goodness, let’s talk about that,” Hernandez said. She continued, “A lot of times when it comes to release moves, you want to catch with enough distance away from the bar almost in a horizontal line. That’s the ideal. But when you catch too far away, you’ll notice right here” — the replay rolled and Hernandez explained — “She has way too much power and then hangs on too long.”
In a recent conversation with NBC10 Boston’s Hannah Donnelly, Hernandez said her job is to “translate the world of gymnastics” for viewers who lack her experience, and that even though she always loved being on camera as an athlete, providing commentary presented an unfamiliar challenge.
“It’s one thing to go in there and to compete and to train and to do very specific things physically,” she said. “It’s like, I know how sports works, I know how training works. This is a whole new ballpark. It feels like playing a different sport, essentially.”
She’s received both positive reviews and some complaints for her work this week. Of the latter, she wrote on social media that “everyone is entitled to their own opinion (obviously), but if the opinion related to me and is unkind, please don’t tag me in it (contrary to popular belief, I do see it).” But The Cut called her one of the breakout stars of the Games, writing that “She explains what’s going on clearly, but doesn’t hide her emotional connection to the sport.”
That was evident on Thursday. When her teammate in the booth, Rich Lerner, noted that Biles still had some wiggle room after her uneven bars disappointment because of the difficulty of her skills, Hernandez was quick to respond.
“She definitely used a little bit of that cushion right there,” she said, followed by some nervous laughter. “Oof, that’s a pretty low score,” Hernandez said when a 13.733 flashed on the screen moments later.
A stunned Lerner noted that Biles had dropped to second place behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade.
“This competition has become a lot closer than I think anyone expected it to,” Hernandez added.
The tension of the afternoon built from there, reaching a crescendo for Biles’s balance beam routine — which she needed to nail to recapture the lead. Hernandez, herself a silver medalist in that event, set the scene.
“If she hits this routine, she’s gonna jump right back into that first place spot, especially knowing her best event, the floor exercise is coming next,” Hernandez said. “However beam has an interesting way of getting into everyone’s heads. It’s a mind game. It’s all about how do you work with your nerves? How do you handle the pressure? Knowing how your body reacts to it. Are your hands shaking? Are your ankles shaking? When you only have four inches to work with, you don’t have room for error.”
She told viewers that Biles had had trouble with her beam mount in the past. Then, as Biles worked through her routine, including one slight wobble, Hernandez reassured viewers. “Don’t worry, she’s on.”
When Biles nailed the dismount, Hernandez reflected the joy of the moment.
“That’s exactly what she needed!” Hernandez said, adding as the camera found Biles with a big smile, “She was nervous! If Simone Biles is nervous …”
Hernandez has had a few previous encounters with the mainstream entertainment industry, winning “Dancing with the Stars” in 2016 and serving as a co-host of “American Ninja Warrior Junior.” She’s also starred in an animated Nickelodeon series, “Middle School Moguls,” about four girls striking out in the business world. And her work in Paris has seemed to indicate that she doesn’t take herself too seriously.
“Ah no way!” she said when the camera found actor Seth Rogen in the crowd on Thursday, and then she giggled. “That’s so cool that he’s here. Seth Rogen is here? That’s amazing.”
