NBC broadcaster Leigh Diffey is opening up on wrongfully declaring Kishane Thompson the winner after the Olympic men's 100-meter race on Sunday ... owning up to his error and congratulating Noah Lyles on his accomplishment.
Diffey -- who has been catching heat for botching the American sprinter's big moment -- went to X to address the mistake ... saying he "got it wrong" following the insane photo finish that saw Lyles squeeze out the victory by 0.005 seconds.
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
While most people watching the event were unsure who the winner was ... the play-by-play announcer -- who is calling his sixth Olympics after joining the network in 2013 -- confidently declared Thompson earned the gold right after the finish.
NOAH LYLES’ OLYMPIC DREAM COMES TRUE!
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024
100M GOLD MEDALIST. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/qR6bkXLHhE
It was a special achievement for the Red, White, and Blue -- as it marked the first time an American had won the event in 20 years. But, Diffey seemed to defend himself from the critics in a brief statement to the AP.
"They're all experts after it's over, right?" the TV talent said. "I trusted my eyes and instinct and got it wrong by 0.005 seconds."
Plenty of people also offered their support for the announcer ... saying he still produced a great call for the chaotic finish, even if his initial reaction wasn't accurate.
Diffey also took to social media to advertise more track and field events happening Monday in the City of Lights -- so it sounds like he's ready to move on from it all.