Australian commentator Leigh Diffey has been slammed by fans for his call of the epic 100m final at the Olympics in Paris.
Diffey, who was commentating for US host broadcaster NBC, incorrectly declared Jamaican Kishane Thompson the gold medallist after the closest race in history.
After trailing for much of the race, American Lyles emerged victorious by just 0.005 of a second in an extraordinary finish that saw both competitors waiting for the official result.
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But fans in America would be forgiven for thinking their man had missed out on gold, based on Diffey’s call.
“Jamaica’s gonna do it, Kishane Thompson is a gold medallist, on debut,” Diffey said, before going silent.
Of course, it was nearly impossible to predict the winner, but experienced broadcast Gerard Whateley. did very well in his call on Nine.
“Ohhh it’s close. Noah and Thompson have hit it together. 9.78. A heart-stopper in Paris! Kishane Thompson, Noah Lyles, eyes to the board. Immortality awaits one. Bitter disappointment the other,” Whateley said.
While Diffey is known for his motorsport coverage on NBC, he is no stranger to the Olympics, having been a part of the commentary team for multiple Winter and Summer Games.
He also took over as the lead track and field commentator in 2021, covering both the US trials and Tokyo Games.
But despite his experience and standing in broadcasting, American fans were scathing in their assessment of the moment.
“Worst call in any sport, ever!” one fan tweeted.
“That was the single worst call of a 100 meter final I have ever heard. You completely ruined the most important call of the Olympics and your life. Reprehensible. With such a close race you should have waited for the photo finish. Horrifically bad call,” another said.
“Why not just say it will be a photo finish? Did you not want Noah to win? People will hear that botched call for centuries. The people deserve an explanation,” a third added.
“That was such a catastrophic call to miss an all time American run on the only American network broadcasting the Olympics by two guys who could not care if an American won,” another said.
“What a race. And quite possibly the worst call in history by Leigh Diffey. Declared the wrong winner on a photo finish, then extended silence while Lyles celebrated. Brutal,” another added.
“I like Leigh Diffey a lot, but he really blew this call, why didn’t he wait, or say, photo finish? Declaring Thompson the winner immediately makes this footage unusable,” another said.
Some fans came out to defend Diffey given it was a tight race and his actual call up to the finish matched the moment, but they were definitely in the minority.
Diffey was born in Brisbane and spent much of his early career commentating motorsport.
He spent time at Network 10 before moving to the US in 2001. He joined the NBC in 2013 as the play-by-play caller for Formula 1 and IndyCar.
Diffey obtained his US citizenship in 2011 and considers himself Australian and American.
