American sprinter Noah Lyles won gold in the men’s 100m on Sunday on day nine of the Paris 2024 Olympics in a finish so close that even the announcers didn’t know who won the race.
After the official times came in, Lyles was determined to have crossed the finish line just a hair ahead of Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, with the men clocking 9.784 and 9.789 seconds respectively. According to the Associated Press, Lyle’s 0.005-second lead was one of the closest sprints in Games history.
Team USA’s Fred Kerley took the bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds.
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Despite a slow start out of the blocks, Lyles picked up the pace down the stretch at Paris’ Stade de France to secure his first Olympic gold medal.
Lyles is the first American to win gold in the 100-meter since Justin Gatlin in 2004. He took to social media after the win and posted a picture of his signature “Kamehameha” celebration from the Japanese TV series “Dragon Ball.”
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Outside the Olympics, Lyles won three world championships last summer, in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay – the first person to do so since legendary sprinter Usain Bolt. In a post-championship press conference, Lyles made headlines for criticizing the NBA.
Lyles previously won a bronze medal in the 200-meter sprint at the Tokyo Olympics. He is set to compete again in the 200m and 4x100m relay in Paris.
You can find a schedule of Lyle’s upcoming events here.
