Kishane Thompson (JAM) and Noah Lyles (USA) await the results of the menís 100m final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France. Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

NBC announcer addresses blunder from Noah Lyles' epic Olympics victory

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated Aug 5, 2024 11:31 AM ET

NBC announcer Leigh Diffey took to social media to address his botched call at the end of Sunday's men's 100-meter final at the Summer Olympics in Paris.

American Noah Lyles edged Jamaica's Kishane Thompson in an all-time photo finish, though Diffey initially believed the latter claimed the gold medal.

NOAH LYLES IS THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE

By four thousands of a second, Lyles eked by Kishane Thompson to win the gold by a whisker.

He is the first American man in 20 years to win the event.

@NBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/sKMer9mPOh
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 4, 2024

The men’s 100 was epic & closest of all time! My eyes & instinct told me Kishane Thompson won. Obviously, that wasn’t the case. I shouldn’t have been so bold to call it, but I genuinely thought he won. I got it wrong. I am thrilled for @LylesNoah as his story only gets bigger!
— Leigh Diffey (@leighdiffey) August 5, 2024

Lyles — who won with an official time of 9.784 — became the first American to the win the event since Justin Gatlin in 2004. Thompson captured second at 9.789 and American Fred Kerley took the bronze medal with a time of 9.81.

According to an Associated Press and ESPN report, Diffey is the network's regular play-by-play announcer for IndyCar and is calling his sixth Olympics and second track and field competition.

He told the Associated Press that he'd prefer not to comment further on the mishap and "not fuel the fire."

"They're all experts after it's over, right? I trusted my eyes and instinct and got it wrong by .0005 seconds," Diffey said, per the report.

Victor Barbosa

Victor Barbosa is a passionate follower of MLB, the NBA and NFL, with a deep interest in Boston-area teams. He graduated from Springfield College -- The Birthplace of Basketball -- in 2013 with a degree in Communications-Sports Journalism. Previous bylines include FanSided, Heavy and Syracuse

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