American sprinter, Noah Lyles, triumphed as the world’s fastest man on Sunday night, clinching the gold medal in the men’s 100m final at the Paris Olympics with a time of 9.79 seconds.
In a race that concluded with a dramatic photo finish, Lyles’ victory marked the first time an American athlete has won the men’s 100m Olympic gold since Justin Gatlin in 2004.
Lyles’ winning time of 9.784 seconds, just five thousandths of a second faster than Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who also recorded 9.79 seconds, made the race one of the closest and most thrilling 100m finals in Olympic history.
The final saw Lyles narrowly edge out Thompson, with the American securing the gold by the smallest of margins.
Fred Kerley of the United States claimed the bronze medal with a time of 9.81 seconds, while South Africa’s Akani Simbine finished fourth.
Lyles arrived at the Stade de France as the reigning world champion and captivated the crowd with his flamboyant pre-race persona.
Despite a sluggish start and an initial time of 10.04 seconds that left him behind British sprinter Louie Hinchliffe in the semi-finals, Lyles rebounded with a powerful performance in the final.
His vibrant Team USA-themed nail polish and WWE-like gestures added to the spectacle of his race, though he had previously struggled in the semi-finals against Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, who had given Lyles a menacing stare in their earlier encounters.
In the final, Lyles perfectly timed his dip at the finish line to edge out Thompson. If the race had been 99 metres instead of 100, Thompson would have taken Jamaica’s fourth 100m gold in the last five Olympics, continuing the legacy established during the Usain Bolt era.
Bolt, the legendary sprinter who retired with eight Olympic gold medals, one later revoked due to a doping violation by teammate Nesta Carter, holds the world record for both the 100m and 200m.
His 100m Olympic record of 9.63 seconds, set at the London 2012 Games, remains unbroken, as does his world record of 9.58 seconds from 2009.
As Lyles aims to follow in Bolt’s footsteps, he has the opportunity to become the first sprinter since Bolt to win both the 100m and 200m events at the same Olympics.
The upcoming races will determine if Lyles can add to the drama of the Paris Games and match the legendary sprinting achievements of his predecessor.
