Leigh Diffey Admits Blunder in Paris Olympics 100m Commentary: 'I Got It Wrong.'

Diffey took responsibility for his rush to declare a winner a day after Lyles became the first American in 20 years to become the Fastest Man in the World.

PARIS, France — NBC announcer Leigh Diffey publicly acknowledged his error in prematurely declaring Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson as the winner of the 100 meters at the Paris Olympics. The race was, in fact, a photo finish that saw American sprinter Noah Lyles clinch the victory.

Diffey, who primarily covers IndyCar but was calling his sixth Olympics, took to social media to take responsibility for the mistaken call.

“The men’s 100 was epic & closest of all time! My eyes & instinct told me Kishane Thompson won,” Diffey admitted. “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.”

Diffey expressed his excitement for Lyles, noting that his victory adds a significant chapter to his story. Lyles, who became the first American to win the 100 meters since Justin Gatlin 20 years ago, will aim for a 200 meters gold later this week.

When contacted by The Associated Press for further comment, Diffey chose to remain understated. “I’d rather not fuel the fire,” he said.

Diffey added, “They’re all experts after it’s over, right? I trusted my eyes and instinct and got it wrong by .0005 seconds.” The race was intensely close, with even Lyles appearing uncertain of his win as they awaited the final results.

Seconds before the official announcement, Diffey had declared Thompson the winner, saying, “There’s an Olympic gold medal waiting for somebody. Who wants it the most? This is close. Jamaica’s gonna do it! Kishane Thompson is a gold medalist!”

Even NBC analyst Ato Bolden initially believed Thompson had won, stating, “It was a lean at the tape by Thompson, visually we think he got it. They’re working on the photo.”

The cameras showed Lyles looking anxiously at the screen, and once the results were confirmed, Diffey corrected himself, announcing, “It’s Noah Lyles! And it had to go to a photo finish to decide it!”

Lyles’ winning time was recorded at 9.784 seconds, narrowly beating Thompson’s 9.789 seconds. American Fred Kerley earned the bronze with a 9.81-second finish.

Diffey’s hesitance extended to announcing Kerley’s bronze medal, which he only did after Lyles embraced his teammate. Social media erupted with critiques of Diffey’s error, prompting NBC to tweak the replay during primetime to minimize the apparent mistake.