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2024 Paris Olympics: See how close the 100-meter finish was between Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson -- and why Lyles won

This was a "photo finish" in every sense of the phrase

ian casselberry
Contributing writer
·4 min read
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The words "photo finish" have never been more applicable than to the end of the men's 100-meter race with the United States' Noah Lyles and Jamaica's Kishane Thompson.

Lyles won by the closest of margins — so close that it appeared to most that Thompson had won. NBC's play-by-play announcer Leigh Diffey called Thompson the winner in the moment during the broadcast.

However, a winner was not officially declared as replays and photos were being closely scrutinized. The Jamaican sprinter appeared to initially think he had won until it was evident the finish was being reviewed.

Then the photo and slow-motion replay evidence came in and showed that Lyles was indeed the winner. It was close, so very close. Plenty of comparisons were immediately made: By a hair, by a breath, by the blink of the eye. The photo from the Associated Press captures it perfectly. According to Olympic rules, a runner has not crossed the finish line until his torso passes. That's why Lyles won.

Noah Lyles, of the United States, in lane seven, wins the men's 100-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Noah Lyles, of the United States, in lane seven, wins the men's 100-meter final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

At least one commentator called it correctly from the jump. That was, of course, former American sprinter and four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson, who was working for BBC.

In the aftermath, many viewers — fans and media alike — criticized NBC for being so quick to call Thompson the winner. Yet the finish was so close and so fast that it's difficult to blame Diffey for calling a result that to the plain eye looked plausibly correct.

Another issue quickly raised on social media was that the broadcast team went quiet as images of the photo were being reviewed. Did the NBC team suddenly realize it had made a mistake by calling Thompson the winner so swiftly?

Yet, what could be said as everyone — including the race's participants — were awaiting the official ruling?

Social media has become the harshest judge of broadcasts and written media. In this instance, time will likely be kind to NBC and Diffey as the heat of the finish simmers down.

The broadcasters literally called the race as they saw it — even if eyesight turned out to convey incorrect information in a split-second. Virtually everyone else watching saw it the same way.

TV broadcasts utilize slow-motion cameras of the highest resolution from a variety of angles for moments just like this. The result wasn't in question because of that, even if the actual winner wasn't immediately apparent.