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PARIS: World champion Noah Lyles won gold in the men’s 100m final at the Olympics in Paris on Sunday with a time of 9.79 seconds.
Lyles won the closest Olympic 100m race in modern history, with just five thousandths of a second separating him from Jamaica’s Keeshan Thompson.
Both men finished with a 9.79-second final time, but the American’s name was more important (.784) than Thompson’s (.789).
This makes Lyles the first American athlete (male or female) to win gold in the event since Justin Gatlin won the gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
“This is what I wanted,” said Lyles, whose winning time was a personal best. “It was a tough battle against some really good opponents.”
“Everyone is fit, everyone is ready to fight, and I want to prove that I am the best among them. I am the wolf among wolves.”
Lyles’ victory was not confirmed until after the photo judgement.
The American said of waiting for the final result: “I walked up to Keeshan and said, ‘Man, to be honest, I think you’ve won.’
“I was so prepared and to see his name come up and to see my name come up was like oh my god, it’s incredible.”
Lyles added: “It’s been a roller coaster, with ups and downs.
“I usually like to do well in all rounds, especially in the 200m. But the 100m, this is my first time on the Olympic stage.”
– Not fresh enough –
Relatively unknown Thompson, who was the fastest male runner this year with a best of 9.77 seconds, said he “didn’t have the energy” in the final 30 meters.
“I didn’t see Lyles at all, I’m not sure,” Thompson, 23, said of the finish line photo. “It was so close.
“I’ll just accept it and move on,” he said. “Everyone loves a winner, so I wanted to win today, but overall I enjoyed the race.”
Lyles’ American teammate Fred Kerley took bronze in 9.81 seconds, just one-hundredth faster than South Africa’s Akani Simbine, who ran 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 100m silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
American athlete Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the men’s 100m final in track and field during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 4, 2024.
“At the end of the day, not many people can say they competed in the Olympics,” Klee said. “Whoever performs the best is the best. This is my second time competing in the Olympics and I’m going to leave with a medal.”
In this stunning race, defending champion Marcel Jacobs of Italy finished fifth in 9.85 seconds, Letsile Tebogo of Botswana was sixth in 9.86 seconds, Kenny Bednarek of the United States was seventh in 9.88 seconds and Oblique Seville of Jamaica was eighth in 9.91 seconds.
Lyles started in lane seven, outside of Sevilla and inside of Tebogo, and had a mediocre start but soon got into his rhythm.
By the 40-meter mark, the American had his head down and was ahead, but the entire field was pressuring him.
The crowd cheered as Lyles raced toward the finish line with Thompson alongside him, and the judges then declared Lyles the gold medalist.
Tensions rise
The pre-race atmosphere at the 69,000-capacity Stade de France was electric, with light shows and rousing music keeping the crowd entertained while sprinters adjusted their starting blocks.
Then the lights went out and the sprinters left the track, re-entering like prizefighters in the Colosseum, each sprinter introduced individually behind his name above the banner.
Thompson roared, clenched his hands into fists, and tilted his head back. Klee patted his heart.
Lyles leaped out like a kangaroo, bounding 20 meters down the track, while Jacobs, the embodiment of cool, raised his arms and calmly walked to the starting blocks.
Next it is time for the sprinters to prepare to start, all at the command of the starter.
The wait seemed endless. The music continued, the audience applauded, and then the sprinters stood on their respective lanes, swaying on their feet, the tension palpable, the only sound being the drone of helicopters overhead.
As the gun went off, the field seemed to move along a purple runway toward a dramatic finale.
The judges at the finish line checked the evidence and Lyles won the gold medal, completely clearing the shadow of his only bronze medal in the 200 meters at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Asked if he was confident of going into the double in the 200m, an event in which he is a three-time world champion, Lyles had no doubts.
“100 percent,” he said. “This is my best event and now I have a new personal best in the 100m and I am ready to go in the 200m.” — AFP
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