This 100m final for sprinters went down in Olympic history due to incredible times, distances, and five thousandths of a second that decided the outcome for American Noah Lyles.
This 100-meter final is a perfect fit for the Paris Olympics. A fantastic show with unforgettable sports in front of 75,000 spectators at the Stade de France. And with a race outcome that has entered Olympic history. For the first time, all eight finalists ran under ten seconds. The top six were separated by just seven hundredths at the end. American Noah Lyles, 27, won because he was five thousandths faster than Jamaican Kishane Thompson. A photo finish, unlike anything the sporting world has ever witnessed, decided the title of “fastest man in the world.” 9.79 seconds truly is a mark for eternity.
Of course, every sprint race leaves its own stylistic notes. The world record of Jamaican Usain Bolt (9.58 seconds, 2009 Berlin) will remain untouchable for years to come; no matter how much the six-time world champion Lyles (recently winning gold in the 100, 200, and 4×100 meters in Budapest 2023) beats the PR drum in the Netflix documentary “Sprint.” America’s first gold since 2004 (Justin Gatlin, Athens, 9.85 seconds) will already give him cult status.
