Noah Lyles Wins the Gold in the Men’s 100m With a Photo-finish but Falls Short of Usain Bolt’s Record

If American track star Noah Lyles hadn’t spent months creating an even higher objective for himself, it would be reasonable to conclude that he has achieved the peak of his sport.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the sprinter won gold in the men’s 100m, a first for the native of Florida. The closest victory ever recorded went to Lyles, who defeated Kishane Thompson of Jamaica by a mere five thousandths of a second (.005).

The closest race to this year’s picture finish was held in Moscow in 1980, which was a long time before times were kept at such a detailed level. Allan Wells of Great Britain and Silvio Sarria of Cuba both recorded times of 10.25 seconds, with Wells winning the gold.

Regarding the tight outcome, Lyles told reporters, “I did think Thompson had it at the end.” While we were waiting, I approached him and remarked, ‘I guess you got that one, big dog.’ Then I saw my name and thought, “Oh my gosh, I’m amazing.”

With Jamaica’s Usain Bolt’s unstoppable streak between Justin Gatlin’s 2004 Athens victory and the present, Lyles’ victory marks the first time an American has won the race in 20 years.

The astute Lyles views that retired superstar as his greatest rival because he has repeatedly declared his intention to surpass the record set by the fastest man alive.

On Sunday, Bolt’s 100-meter Olympic and global records remained unbroken. In 2012, Bolt broke his own Olympic record with a time of 9.63, more than a tenth of a second quicker than Lyles’ winning (personal best) time of 9.79. Bolt’s 2009 world record, a startlingly quick dash of 9.58 seconds, is even farther away.

Lyles is a specialist in the upcoming 200-meter race on Tuesday. Bolt is the competition record holder as well. Lyles would become the first person to win both medals since Bolt in 2016 if he won gold in the occurrence of choice. Since Carl Lewis in 1984, he would be the first American to win both races.

Bolt, on the other hand, believes Lyles might eventually surpass his record. In March, he told Citius Mag that the runner needed to improve on a few aspects of his technique, but he did not provide a plan on how to break his record.

“I believe he could improve if he makes a few corrections, which I won’t disclose,” he stated. “It’s a chance… I’m not going to give you advice on how to beat the record.