Australian-American commentator Leigh Diffey found great chemistry with NASCAR fans after landing in NBC Sports’ broadcast booth straight from his coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The stock car racing fandom found his work extremely entertaining and well-researched. However, a slight blotch on his otherwise stellar resume is a mistake he made during the 2024 Olympics.
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Diffey was the play-by-play announcer for the Men’s 100-meter dash alongside analyst Ato Bolden. It was the sixth Olympic and second track and field contest that he was calling.
At the end of the thrilling race, he mistakenly identified Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson as the winner instead of United States runner Noah Lyles. A photo analysis of the finish revealed the true winner.
Diffey exclaimed as the race began and finished, “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!” His colleague Bolden too mentioned that he’d thought Thompson was the winner. The cameras then focused on an anxious Lyles and the correct announcement was made.
Noah Lyles wins GOLD in the men's 100M final by .005 OF A SECOND. 🥇🤯pic.twitter.com/fE3RjjiANW
— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) August 4, 2024
Diffey called, “It’s Noah Lyles! And it had to go to a photo finish to decide it!” The U.S. athlete had completed the race in 9.784 seconds. Thompson had taken 9.789 seconds.
Lyles’ victory got the United States its first gold medal in the 100 meters in two decades. The announcer later took it to social media to acknowledge his mistake and claim responsibility.
Diffey accepts mistake, reasons for the wrong call
The following Monday, Diffey owned the error with a message on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote, “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!” he added. He later spoke about the incident on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s The Dale Jr. Download Reloaded podcast and noted how he had to trust his instincts moving forward regardless of what happened, as he has done so throughout his career.
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
Despite this slight chink in his armor, he has made for some truly memorable moments in the NASCAR Cup Series such as calling Harrison Burton’s thrilling win in the Daytona Summer Race. He even called it his favorite moment of the season considering that he got to do it with his friend and Harrison’s father Jeff Burton in the booth.
