NBC screwed up Noah Lyles' big moment and it was so avoidable.
Noah Lyles talked the talk and walked the walk during Sunday’s men’s 100-meter sprint final at the Paris Olympics. After finishing with bronze in Tokyo three years ago, Lyles redeemed himself in an absurd photo finish comeback to win his first-ever gold medal.
If you ask NBC’s production for Lyles’ big finish, they’re gonna want the whole moment back. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.
As Lyles and Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson crossed the finish line at virtually the same time, it was clear that it was way too close to call by the naked eye. In fact, as a result, the prudent move for the broadcast should’ve been to cast doubt on the outcome until photos and official times confirmed the victor while offering up some measure of clarity in the transitional period.
Instead, NBC’s Leigh Diffey and his analysts stuck with Jamaica and Thompson, ran with that as the clear answer, said nothing for an awkward amount of time, and then had to correct to Lyles being the rightful winner by the blink of an eye (five-thousandths of a second).
Oof, all of that could’ve been avoided with more patience and tact:
"JAMAICA'S GONNA DO IT!"
Well, about that…pic.twitter.com/proLp6G6cz
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 4, 2024
Ah, well, at least Lyles got the deserved gold. It would’ve been nice for NBC to accurately capture the chaos and add to the initial crazed spectacle of his triumph, but alas.
