Whoops! Canadian announcer Elliotte Friedman apologized on Thursday, August 11, for confusing Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte during the men’s 200-meter individual medley.
“Finally he’s going to do it!” Friedman said during the race on NBC. “Ryan Lochte is going to beat Michael Phelps in this event in the games, and Phelps might not even make the podium!”
In reality, of course, it was Phelps who beat Lochte.
“I apologize,” he quickly realized on-air. “I got my lanes mixed up. Phelps with the gold.”
After mistakingly informing viewers that Lochte had secured the gold, Friedman also took to Twitter to apologize for the snafu. “I’m sorry everyone,” he tweeted Thursday night. “I blew it. No excuses.”
That said, viewers were surprisingly understanding.
“It can happen to anyone @FriedgeHNIC and you’ll be laughing about it in no time. Handled it like a pro,” one tweeter reassured the announcer, while another added: “@FriedgeHNIC the bigger story is how well you’ve done these games. Have really enjoyed listening to you the past week.”
For the record, Lochte didn’t medal and Phelps earned his 22nd personal gold.
