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NBC's Leigh Diffey botches call of 100m final win for Noah Lyles

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater•08/04/24•

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Noah Lyles
Andrew Nelles | USA TODAY Sports

The 100m final on Sunday at the 2024 Paris Olympics was a very tight photo finish. Even so, a misread on the winner of the race took some of the shine away from the moment of it all.

NBC’s Leigh Diffey called the moment inside the Stade de France between the eight competitors. As they crossed the finish line, he gave the victory to Kishane Thompson of Jamaica. However, after a few moments of further review, it was actually Noah Lyles of the United States who took the gold medal.

To be perfectly fair, Lyles and Thompson couldn’t have been much closer. Lyles edged it out with a final time of 9.784 that was .005 better than Thompson at 9.789.

Team USA also took the bronze with Fred Kerley running a 9.81. Kenneth Bednarek then finished second from last at 9.88.

The other finishers are as follows with Akani Simbine of South Africa in fourth at 9.82, Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy in fifth at 9.85, Letsile Tebogo of Botswana in sixth at 9.86, and another Jamaican in Oblique Seville being last at 9.91.

This was a major moment for the competitor and his country in this specific event. No American had won the 100m final since 2004 when Justin Gatlin did so in Athens. It was also the first gold medal and second total in the career of Lyles.

There’s only shame in missing that call with how very close that it came down to being. It did admittedly take away some from the achievement, though, with it being Lyles who actually won it moments later.

Lyles celebrates 100-meter dash win: ‘America, I told you I got this’

Noah Lyles had a strong message for the United States after winning the Olympic gold medal at the 100-meter dash in Paris.

“America, I told you I got this,” Lyles said.

Lyles crossed the finish line with a time of 9.79 in a photo finish to win track and field’s biggest event in the Olympics. He beat Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who also ran a time 9.79. His fellow American in Fred Kerley finished in third by posting a 9.81 time to earn the bronze medal.

Lyles is the first American to win the Olympic gold medal in the 100m for the men since Justin Gatlin won gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. This is his second Olympic medal, claiming bronze in the 200-meter dash in the 2020 Tokyo Games in 2021.

Lyles entered the Paris Olympics as the reigning world champion in the 100m and 200m.