World champion Noah Lyles cruised to victory in 9.79 seconds to claim gold in the dramatic men’s 100m Olympic final in Paris on Sunday. Lyles won the closest Olympic 100m event in modern history, with just five thousandths of a second separating him from Jamaican Kishane Thompson. Both received a rounded time of 9.79 seconds, but the American’s name carried the important weight (0.784) to Thompson’s (0.789). This made Lyles the first American, man or woman, to win the event since Justin Gatlin won gold at the 2004 Athens Games.
“It’s what I wanted,” said Lyles, whose winning time was a personal best. “It’s a difficult battle, the opponents are incredible.
“Everyone is healthy, everyone came prepared to fight and I wanted to prove that I am the man among them all. I am the wolf among wolves.”
Lyles’ victory was only confirmed after a photo-finish.
The American said of waiting for the final results: “I went to Kishane and thought, ‘I’ll be honest, bro, I think you got it right.’
“And I was totally prepared to see his name come up and see my name come up, I’m like, oh my God. I’m amazing.”
Lyles added: “It’s been a rollercoaster, ups and downs.
“I’m normally a guy who likes to shine in all my rounds, especially in the 200m. But the 100m is my first time here on the Olympic stage.”
Huge achievement for Noah Lyles winning gold for Team USA in the men’s 100m final! Noah is traditionally a 200m runner and just won the 100m.
In the Netflix documentary series Sprint, Noah joked with his mother and said “200 is my wife and 100 is my lover.”
It cannot… pic.twitter.com/OXk3zyT5YE
-Jordan Karr (@JordanLkarr) August 4, 2024
– Not ‘fresh enough’ –
The relatively unknown Thompson, this year’s fastest man with a best of 9.77 seconds, said he was not “fresh enough” in the final 30 metres.
“I couldn’t really see Lyles, I wasn’t sure,” Thompson, 23, said of the photo finish. “It was so close.
“I’ll accept it and move on from here,” he said. “Everyone loves a winner, so I would love to win today, but I loved the competition in general.”
Lyles’ US teammate Fred Kerley took bronze in 9.81 seconds, just a hundredth ahead of South African Akani Simbine, who clocked 9.82 seconds.
“I don’t feel any frustration because I’m facing the best in the world,” said Kerley, the 2022 world champion and Olympic silver medalist in the 100m three years ago at the Tokyo Games.
“At the end of the day, not many people can say they came to the Olympics,” Kerley said. “Whoever came out better is the best. It’s my second time and I’m going to leave with a medal.”
In a surprising race, defending champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy was fifth in 9.85 seconds, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo sixth in 9.86 seconds, American Kenny Bednarek seventh in 9.88 seconds and Jamaican Oblique Seville eighth in 9.91 seconds.
Starting in lane seven, outside of Seville and inside of Tebogo, Lyles had an average start but soon got into his stride pattern.
With his head down until the 40 meter mark, the American opened up, but the entire field pushed him to the end.
As Lyles approached the line with Thompson charging alongside him, the crowd erupted and a photo finish was called before Lyles was confirmed as the gold medalist.
– Tension build-up –
There was an electrifying pre-race atmosphere at the 69,000-capacity Stade de France, a light show and booming music keeping the crowd entertained as the sprinters adjusted their starting blocks.
The lights then went out and the sprinters left the track to retrace their entry like prize fighters in a coliseum, with each sprinter introduced individually behind an image of their name above their flag.
Thompson roared, his fists clenched as his head rolled back. Kerley patted her heart.
Lyles leapt like a kangaroo, bouncing 20 meters across the track. Jacobs was the definition of cool, raising both arms and calmly walking to his blocks.
Then came the moment when the sprinters took position, at the command of the starter.
The wait seemed endless. The music continued, the crowd cheered in unison, then the sprinters stood on their tracks, swaying from one foot to the other and the tension was palpable, while the only sound was that of a helicopter buzzing overhead.
The shot was fired and the field moved as if heading up the purple lane for the dramatic outcome.
Photo-finish officials examined the evidence and Lyles came away with gold to bury the demons of the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, where he harvested just a 200m bronze.
Asked if he was confident of doubling in the 200m, a race in which he is a three-time world champion, Lyles had no doubts.
“100 percent,” he said. “This is my best event and now that I have a new PR in the 100, I’m ready to take it to the 200.”
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