Noah Lyles wins 1st Olympic gold in 100m for Team USA : NPR

NPR is in Paris for the 2024 Summer time Olympics. For extra of our protection from the video games head to our newest updates.

SAINT-DENIS, France — Noah Lyles has been claiming to be “the quickest man alive” since changing into the reigning world champion within the 100-meter race final 12 months.

After Sunday night time’s race, the American can now declare that title with out contest.

Lyles ran 9.79 seconds, a private greatest, within the Sunday night time competitors at Stade de France, to say his first Olympic gold.

Forward of begin time, Lyles, identified for his dramatics and showmanship, got here onto the observe with arms raised to whip up the gang, ending his pre-race present by darting up and down a few quarter of the 100-meter distance he was about to run.

As soon as the shot fired, the American bought a classically sluggish begin however accelerated sufficient to beat Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who — earlier than tonight — was the quickest man this 12 months. He additionally posted 9.79, prompting a nail-biting few moments as everybody within the stadium waited for the photograph end outcomes to develop.

Lyles crosses the end line forward of Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson within the males’s 100m closing on Sunday night time at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris.

Andrej Isakovic/AFP through Getty Photographs

disguise caption

toggle caption

Andrej Isakovic/AFP through Getty Photographs

Computer systems present Lyles leaned ahead to cross the road five-thousandths of a second sooner than Thompson.

Earlier than the ultimate outcomes posted, Lyles advised reporters he thought it was Thompson who completed first, not him.

“I used to be like, oh man I’m actually gonna must swallow my pleasure, which I don’t have an issue doing. Respect deserves respect, and all people within the subject to be sincere got here out realizing that they might win this race.”

Fred Kerley of the U.S. got here in third place .02 seconds later to win bronze.

Lyles’ victory within the 100m is the primary U.S. gold within the Olympic occasion since Justin Gatlin gained in 2004.

As for Thompson, he’ll be the primary Jamaican to make it to the rostrum since Usain Bolt’s Olympic reign ended with the Rio de Janeiro Video games in 2016.

“That is the closest medal,” Thompson mentioned after the race. “I couldn’t see him, however I assumed he was seeing me. He mentioned, ‘Hey Kishane I assumed you bought it,’ and I mentioned, ‘I’m not positive.’ “

Within the semifinal, fellow Jamaican Indirect Seville ran a private greatest 9.81, ending forward of Lyles by .02 after the American had one other tough begin.

Lyles’ celeb rose after final month’s launch of the Netflix docuseries Dash, which follows a number of of the quickest runners at the moment on the Paris Video games of their quest for Olympic gold.

Lyles is the reigning world champion within the 100m and the 200m. It’s additionally why the showman already preferred to name himself the “quickest man alive.” He additionally gained the bronze within the 200-meter race on the Tokyo Olympics three years in the past.

In the end, Lyles is chasing Bolt’s world report in each. Bolt’s 100-meter report is 9.58 seconds.

Lyles will not be identified for his begin out of the blocks. In reality, an official timing evaluation of the ultimate confirmed that for the primary 40 meters of Sunday’s gold-medal race, he was in final place.

It is why the 200-meter is his higher occasion. He’ll have an opportunity to show that on Thursday night time.

If he does win, Lyles can be the primary male sprinter to realize the Olympic dash double since Bolt did it at Rio in 2016.

At a post-race press convention, Lyles was requested to look in to the longer term.

He mentioned sprinting greats needs to be seen on the similar stage as basketball superstars — and have their very own large sponsorships. He says that he even desires to have his personal sneaker line.