Medallists of the broadcast booth: And the gold goes to….

Hours and hours of live broadcasting. Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of words said, over the course of two weeks.

It's really easy to find something about somebody in there that you find annoying and grating. A mistake or slip of the tongue that you can latch on to with great glee. Somebody to dump on.

[Slideshow: Day 14 at the Olympics for Canada]

That's all fair game, but you won't find it here. Move along, if you're looking for a snarky column about broadcasters, by a broadcaster.

I've never worked an Olympics. But I know plenty of people who have. I know how hard they work, how much prep they need to do, the long hours and fatigue that can lead to stupid mistakes. I know there's a fine line between terrific and lousy. By that, I mean that one person's favourite television host is just as likely to be the next person's most reviled.

What I've seen over two weeks of pretty intensive Olympics viewing has been generally good, sometimes great, television. Can't say that there are too many instances where I can illustrate a broadcaster failing miserably or being an embarrassment.

Even the people I don't much like to watch have given me very little reason to gripe.

[Related: Christine Sinclair is still bitter and standing by her words]

So I won't. I'll leave it to someone else to make the morning Corn Flakes taste salty.

Here now, my personal picks as medallists of the booth:

GOLD: Rod Smith, Aquatics

Smith has long been a more than dependable broadcaster for TSN, as a reporter, play by play man and anchor. At these Olympics, he attained a new level, as simply the best venue broadcaster at the games. With that big, booming baritone voice, Smith made every stroke of every race seem important, without heading into hyperbole. He met the big moments in note-perfect fashion, and seemed to be constantly on the air. They worked him hard and he didn't crack, staying smooth and commanding throughout the entire two weeks. Swimming and diving were among the most entertaining and compelling events of the Olympics, in part because of Smith. Another note: Rod Smith could make synchronized swimming sound like the invasion of Normandy and have you believe it's just that big. Thank God he didn't call the Canada - U.S. soccer game. With the drama and tension already present in that thing, there'd have been paramedics tending to Canadians from coast to coast, keeled over in their reclining chairs.

SILVER: Brian Williams, studio host

That Brian Williams settles for silver tells you even more about Rod Smith's performance. As usual, Williams was pretty much the class of the field, taking the early lead when he lambasted the IOC over the lack of a tribute to the Israeli athletes slain at the Munich Games. From there, he was his usual self, mixing candour and humour wherever suitable and providing some of the best interviews of the games. He preps and rehearses hard, tending to detail in meticulous fashion and it showed, again. At the top of the clock, when the music plays and the camera zooms in, when Brian Williams puts his elbow on the desk and leans toward the camera, you know you're in good hands.

BRONZE: It's a tie. Kyle Shewfelt and Catriona Le May Doan

A tie? I know, I know. But, hey, there was a three way tie for bronze in men's high jump, so cut me some slack. I can't leave either of these two off the podium. Just like Canada's Derek Drouin in that high jump competition, these two might be surprise medallists. That may be, indeed, why I've elevated them. They kinda came out of nowhere for me.

[More: London Games a goodbye for several Canadian Olympians]

Le May Doan is a veritable rookie at studio hosting, having been a co-host for the opening ceremony of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver as well as a guest analyst in previous games. She's been smooth and charismatic, adding the experienced commentary of an Olympian at the appropriate times, providing good insight. Much better than I would have expected for her first time out in such a big job. If I'm guessing right, Le May Doan owes a fair bit of her good showing to having a smooth and gracious veteran partner. So credit Dave Randorf with having a hand in this.

Shewfelt just blew me away with his gymnastics commentary. Not prepared to watch a lot of gymnastics, I nevertheless found myself doing just that, largely because of Shewfelt. His enthusiasm never wavered, his insight was sharp and balanced and he really did add colour to the position of colour commentator. Of a dismount during the women's team competition, he said simply "that was silky." During the women's trampoline, he said of a sloppy competitor: "Her hips were a bit soggy." If I'm tuning in to rhythmic gymnastics just to hear what the analyst has to say, well, that's just great analysis.

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