Leigh Diffey calls another photo finish

Leigh Diffey clearly has a new approach to photo finishes.

The NBC play-by-play announcer faced widespread ridicule earlier in the Paris Olympics when he called a photo finish in the men’s 100-meter dash.

Diffey confidently declared the wrong winner.

“This is close… Jamaica’s gonna do it! Kishane Thompson is a gold medalist! ” Diffey exclaimed.

Yet a short time later, officials ruled that U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles had crossed the line first .

That is as bad a blunder as an announcer can make, calling the wrong winner in a race. Fans ripped Diffey on social media and he got roasted by fellow media members .

“I shouldn’t have been so bold to call it, but I genuinely thought he won,” Diffey said .

While no one expects Diffey to make the same type of mistake again, it’s possible some fans held their breath when he made the call Saturday on the women’s 100-meter hurdles, as three competitors reached the finish line at almost the same time.

Diffey did not call a winner.

“Look how close it is!” he exclaimed.

“This may be a France gold medal, it could be a U.S. gold medal,” Diffey continued, clearly avoiding a prediction.

Officials quickly declared Team USA’s Masai Russell the winner, by .01 over France’s Cyréna Samba-Mayela. Defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn finished .02 behind Russell to claim bronze.

Announcers are human just like everyone else, and mistakes happen. Diffey learned a valuable lesson that day, one he won’t forget.

[ NBC Olympics & Paralympics ]

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