Lyles needed to produce something special in the biggest race of his career. He tapped into his prime and delivered his personal best performance in front of a jam-packed crowd at the Stade de France.
The United States' Noah Lyles won the men's 100-meter final at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, August 4, making him the fastest man in the world. In one of the most thrilling 100-meter finals in Games history, Jamaica's Kishane Thompson took home the silver medal, narrowly missing out on the gold. USA's Fred Kerley won the bronze, and Italy's highly strapped Tokyo Olympics champion Jacobs Lamont Marcell came in fifth.
Known for his explosive acceleration and finishing power, Lyles set an amazing time to win the gold, just missing out on Thompson, who made an equally remarkable but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to settle for silver. The picture finish demonstrated the intense rivalry in the Olympic Games and emphasised the razor-thin margins that determine success in the world of sprinting.
In a race that wrapped up within a blink of an eye, Noah clocked of 9.784s to walk away with the gold. He was just 0.16 seconds of breaking the legendary Usain Bolt's Olympic record of 9.63s. Jamaica's Kishane Thompson settled for silver after falling short by a fraction of a second in one of the closest 100m races in the history of the Summer Games.
Noah's compatriot Fred Kerley clinched the bronze medal with his season-best timing of 9.81s. Following his triumph, Noah became the first United States athlete to bag a gold since Justin Gatlin stood at the top of the podium in 2004 in the 100m race.
Athletes had to wait for some time for the results as all eight sprinters participating in the event were separated by the tiniest of the margins for the gold medal. In the end, it was declared that Noah had 0.005s ahead of Kishane to finish at the top of the podium. Following the announcement, the crowd erupted in a roar and went berserk, applauding the American sprinter for his remarkable triumph.
He ripped his name from his shirt and held it high in the air. South Africa's Akane Simbine once again missed out on a podium finish by a whisker as he finished fourth. In the Tokyo and Rio Olympics, Simbine was close but fell short of getting his hands on an Olympic medal in the event. Noah won the 100m and 200m in last year's World Championships.
After securing gold in the 100m, he will look to seal his second gold at Paris in the 200m race event.
(with inputs from ANI)
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