In a thrilling photo finish, Noah Lyles retained the title of fastest man in the world.
Lyles beat Jamaican Kishane Thompson to win his first Olympic gold medal in 9.784 seconds, just five thousandths of a second ahead of Thompson, who clocked 9.789. The result was not known until nearly a minute after crossing the finish line, as competitors nervously awaited details of their photo finish.
When the result was displayed on the video screen at the Stade de France, Lyles was the gold medalist. Thompson took the silver and the American Fred Kerley won bronze, his second Olympic medal in the 100m.
Photo finish during the men’s 100m final at the Paris Olympic Games.
World Athletics
Lyles is the first American to win gold in the 100m since Justin Gatlin at the 2004 Athens Games. After finishing seventh in the 100m at the 2021 U.S. Trials, Lyles is now the best 100m runner on Earth for the second year in a row.
In the ultra-tight race, Lyles was in last place after 30 metres and was 0.01 seconds behind Thompson after 90 metres, but the new Olympic champion pulled away to win by a hair in the final leg.
