In one of the most dramatic finishes in Olympic Track and Field history. Noah Lyles had to pop out his chest to get the edge over the favorite Kishane Thompson who had the fastest time in the world coming into the 100 meter final. Lyles ran a career best 9.79 (9.784) won by 0.005 of a second in Paris, France on Sunday.
NOAH LYLES’ OLYMPIC DREAM COMES TRUE!
100M GOLD MEDALIST. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/qR6bkXLHhE
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024
“We were waiting for the names to pop up, and I’m going to be honest, I came over [to Thompson] and I was like: ‘I think you got that one, big dawg!'” Noah Lyles said in his postrace news conference. “Something said I need to lean, and I was like, ‘I’m going to lean,’ because it’s that type of race.”
This is the first time that a American sprinter has won the 100 meters since Justin Gatlin accomplished the feat in 2004 in Athens, Greece. Lyles has a chance to pull a double if he can make the 200-meter finals Wednesday night. Fellow American sprinter Fred Kerley finished with the Bronze medal running 9.81.
“What’s crazy is my biomechanist Ralph Mann, before I left for Paris, he’s like, ‘This is how close first and second is going to be away from each other,'” Lyles said, holding his hand up with a narrow space between his index finger and thumb. “I can’t believe how right he was.”
Disappointment for the favorite
According to Draft Kings Kishane Thompson was the odds on favorite to win the 100 meters at -160. The Jamaican sprinter thought he had the race won. Watching the replay on the jumbotron it looked like victory was his. But the review showed that Lyles torso crossed the line first. Thompson official time was 9.79 (989) good enough for the Silver medal. Without a doubt Thompson is disappointed with his performance.
I’m going to be disappointed, but I’m super happy and grateful at the same time,” Thompson said. “I just got to take it as what it is and just move forward from here.”
Reactions
The fact that Noah Lyles said what he did about the NBA “World Champions” and then went out and got a World Champion Gold Medal himself is actually one of the most savage moments I’ve seen in sports????????
Undisputed Worlds Fastest Man.pic.twitter.com/raBHZCOSts
— Austin⚡️ (@austinsprops) August 4, 2024
Noah Lyles RAN DOWN THE FIELD to win Olympic 100m Gold in 9.79.
It’s not always about how you start, but HOW YOU FINISH is what gets you what you are looking for.
HE IS THE FASTEST MAN IN THE WORLD. @LylesNoah pic.twitter.com/FUUFd5YQ1x
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 4, 2024
Noah Lyles earns the title of fastest man in the world at the 2024 Olympic Games in the 100m dash with a time of 9.79 seconds! ????
“America! I told you! I got this!” – Noah Lyles ???????? pic.twitter.com/QGrZhXMPEU
— Caroline (@carolineccurtis) August 4, 2024
Best 100 meters race I’ve ever seen. They will be talking about Noah Lyles last 40 meters for a loooong time. Maybe the best close ever. pic.twitter.com/pYUrjRYOr9
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) August 4, 2024
Michael Johnson working for BBC pointed out off-camera that it was Noah Lyles who won the men’s 100 meters. He knew. pic.twitter.com/dm9opm7WRP
— Ken Fang — Very Asian (@fangsbites) August 4, 2024
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
