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Athlon Sports
NBC Announcer Apologizes for Blunder During Noah Lyles’ 100m Olympic Victory
By Zachary Neel,
4 hours ago
When you're dealing with an Olympic race that came down to five thousandths of a second separating the gold medal winner from the silver, it's understandable that your eyes may lie to you.
When that's the case, though, and you're on national television, it's probably best to wait for the official result before declaring a winner.
That’s what NBC announcer Leigh Diffey learned on Sunday after Team USA’s Noah Lyles edged out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in the 100 meters final. Lyles won by the slimmest of margins. Instead of waiting for the official results, Diffey incorrectly stated that Thompson had won the race and captured the gold medal.
A day later, Diffey took to social media to apologize for his error on the broadcast.
While it’s good of Diffey to own his mistake, as a journalist he should know that his gut instinct should never be enough to lead him to state something, especially of that magnitude. Ultimately, no harm, no foul.
Meanwhile, Lyles returns to the track later this week to try and add to his medal count. He will run in the 200 meters, where he is considered the favorite to win gold.
The men’s 200 meters final is set for Thursday at 2:30 p.m. E.T.
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