NBC announcer Leigh Diffey admitted “I got it wrong” regarding his mistaken call of the Paris Olympics 100 meters race, where he incorrectly named Kishane Thompson of Jamaica as the winner. The race was a close finish and was actually won by American sprinter Noah Lyles.
Diffey, who usually announces IndyCar races and is calling his sixth Olympics and second track and field event, took responsibility for his hasty declaration in a social media post on Monday.
“The men’s 100 was epic & closest of all time! My eyes & instinct told me Kishane Thompson won,” Diffey wrote. “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.”
He also expressed his excitement for Lyles, saying “as his story only gets bigger!” Lyles, the first American to win the event since Justin Gatlin 20 years ago, will aim for another gold in the 200 meters later this week.
Diffey chose not to say much more when contacted by The Associated Press, stating “I’d rather 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 told AP.
The race was so tight that even Lyles seemed to believe he had lost to Thompson while waiting for the results on the big screen at Stade de France. Moments before, Diffey had declared Thompson the winner.
“There’s an Olympic gold medal waiting for somebody,” Diffey said as the race began. “Who wants it the most? … This is close. … Jamaica’s gonna do it! Kishane Thompson is a gold medalist!”
NBC analyst Ato Bolden, who was with Diffey, also thought Thompson had won. As Thompson walked around the track — shouting “C’mon man!” — Bolden hesitated but thought the Jamaican had won.
“It was a lean at the tape by Thompson, visually we think he got it,” Bolden said. “They’re working on the photo.”
