Noah Lyles lived up to the anticipation and delivered a spectacular performance when it counted the most, winning the closest-ever Olympic 100 metres final by five thousandths of a second on Sunday. This victory marked the first time in 20 years that the United States claimed the title.
In a thrilling finish, Lyles initially thought he might have left it too late to overtake the powerful Kishane Thompson. However, the giant screen confirmed Lyles as the winner, clocking a personal best of 9.79 seconds—the same time as the Jamaican but edging him out by the narrowest of margins, just the width of a vest.
Had the race been only 99 metres, Thompson would have celebrated a fourth Jamaican men’s 100m victory in five Olympics. However, Lyles maintained his form brilliantly and expertly timed his dip at the finish line, adding Olympic gold to his world title.
In celebration, Lyles ripped his name bib from his shirt and held it high, his red, white, and blue varnished fingernails on display, proclaiming himself as the fastest man in the world.
“This is the one I wanted; it’s the hard battle, it’s the amazing opponents,” said Lyles, the first American male to win the Olympic 100m since Justin Gatlin in 2004. “I didn’t do this against a slow field—I did this against the best of the best, on the biggest stage, with the biggest pressure.”
Indeed, it was a historic race, with all eight finalists running under 10 seconds in a wind-legal 100 metres race for the first time.
American Fred Kerley secured bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds, while Akani Simbine of South Africa finished fourth, setting a national record of 9.83 seconds. This marked Simbine’s sixth time placing fourth or fifth in global championships.
Defending champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy, who was heavily strapped, finished fifth in 9.85 seconds. Letsile Tebogo of Botswana also set a national record, finishing sixth with a time of 9.86 seconds.
