In one of the most dramatic performances in Olympic history — and track and field — Noah Lyles seized the gold in Paris in the 100m, leaving little doubt that the “world’s fastest man” moniker is truly his.
Lyles capped an exciting third day of track and field at Stade de France with a 9.784 photo finish over Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by 0.005 — one of the slimmest margins ever. Fellow American Fred Kerley (9.81) took the bronze. The crowd cheered the close finished by also gasped when the photo finish review was announced and displayed throughout the stadium.
And while Lyles was a favorite to win the gold, his slow starts in the qualifying rounds were punctuated by his own admission that he underestimated the field leading up to the final.
But when it was clear that his final lean at the finish line was the deciding factor, Lyles began his victory lap, gestured for the television cameraman to come closer and yelled, “America, I told you I got this!”
Lyles’ work in Paris is far from done.
He hopes to strike gold in the 200m on Thursday, putting him in rare company with only Usain Bolt (2008, 2012, 2016) and Carl Lewis (1984) to win the 100m and 200m in the same Olympics. Lyles looks to redeem himself from a disappointing bronze in the 200m in 2021 in Tokyo.
Lyles explained, “The journey started in 2021 when I received bronze (in the 200m in Tokyo) and I said ‘I gotta change.’”
A likely selection to Team USA’s 4x100m relay squad (and maybe the 4x400m relay) will add to his packed itinerary in Paris.
For now, Lyles will indulge in the theater that came with his dramatic finish, but also being the first American — male or female — to win gold in the 100m since Justin Gatlin in 2004. The 9.784 performance on Sunday is also a new personal best for Lyles, who needed all parts of his arsenal to pull off the win.
“No matter what, all I need is a lane and I’ll be able to go out and prove who I am,” he said. “No year is the same. I gotta evolve. And I’m not going to treat it the same.”
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