Sprinter Noah Lyles claimed the gold medal in the 100-meter final of modern Olympic history on Sunday night, narrowly defeating his closest challenger, Kishane Thompson, by a mere five thousandths of a second.
Lyles is recognized as the first American, regardless of gender, to achieve victory in this event, following Justin Gatlin's gold medal win in the 2004 Athens Games.
Jamaica's Thompson got silver in a close race, initially leading but faltering and being overtaken by Lyles, who won with an impressive sprint. They both finished in 9.79 seconds, but Lyles claimed a narrow victory.
Lyles' US teammate, Fred Kerley, secured the bronze medal with a timing of 9.81s, closely followed by South African Akani Simbine, who finished just one-hundredth of a second behind, recording a time of 9.82s in fourth place.
Marcell Jacobs (Italy) finished 5th with a time of 9.85s, Letisle Tebogo (Botswana) placed 6th in 9.86s, Kenny Bednarek (USA) took 7th with 9.88s, and Oblique Seville (Jamaica) came 8th in 9.91s. The race was thrilling and exciting.
Starting in lane seven, alongside Seville and in between Tebogo, Lyles had a satisfactory start but quickly found his rhythm. With his head focused, he maintained a steady pace until the 40-meter mark, where the American accelerated. However, in a closely contested and rapid race, the entire field pushed him relentlessly until the finish line.
Lyles approached the finish line while being closely pursued by Thompson. The crowd reacted with excitement, leading to a photo-finish assessment that ultimately resulted in Lyles being declared the champion.
There was a lively atmosphere before the race at the Stade de France, filled with 69,000 spectators. The crowd was entertained by a laser show and booming music, adding to the excitement. Meanwhile, the sprinters were making their final preparations at the starting blocks.
The lights were then switched off, after which the sprinters exited the track in a manner reminiscent of prizefighters. Each sprinter was called out over the sound system and introduced individually, with an image of their name displayed above their respective flag.
Lyles moved swiftly and energetically, covering a distance of 20 meters with bouncy steps akin to those of a kangaroo. In contrast, Jacobs remained composed and composed, confidently holding his arms up and calmly proceeding towards his starting position.
Then, the moment arrived when the sprinters positioned themselves, anticipating the command of the starter. The duration of the wait felt quite extensive as the captivating music filled the stadium.
The cameras completed another sweeping motion, and subsequently, it was time while the sole audible noise came from the helicopters' wings whirring above.
The shot was fired, and the field appeared to shift, resembling movement along the purple track.
The officials carefully reviewed the evidence, concluding that Lyles achieved a gold medal, allowing him to overcome the difficulties he faced during the Tokyo Games. Despite his significant reputation upon arrival, he had previously managed to secure only a 200-meter bronze medal.
He aims to secure additional gold medals in the upcoming 200-meter race and contribute to the fast-paced 4x100-meter American relay team in his pursuit to expand his collection.