If you’re embarrassed at how many centimeters of nail you gnawed while watching Noah Lyles win his first-ever Olympic gold medal, don’t be! The 27-year-old won the men’s 100m race at the Paris Olympics just minutes ago by a photo finish, defeating Jamaican arch-rival Kishane Thompson by an insane .005 seconds. However, the margin was so close to the naked eye that many had reservations about accepting the final result without arguing. But lo, and behold! An answer to satiate the curious has arrived.

In a post on X, award-winning journalist Josina Anderson sought to clear the confusion around Lyles’ triumph once and for all. Analyzing the sprinter’s performance stride-by-stride, Anderson breaks down why Noah almost looked to be gaining more speed than the others in the race.

“…because of Lyles reliable 200m speed endurance he slows down slower -decelerates-slower than everyone else and shifts the area on the track where he reaches top end speed which looks at about the 60m mark—making him gain on the field & optically look like he’s gaining since they are slowing down faster,” underscores the journalist in her post, making it apparent that Lyles’s victory wasn’t a fluke.

The starting lineup was stacked to the brim with names like Kenny Bednarek, Oblique Seville, and Letsile Tebogo all eyeing their shot at the golden glory. Moreover, with Noah finishing second in both the first round and the semifinal races, many speculated if he had what it takes to etch his name among the sprinting elite. And yet, Noah had some tricks up his sleeve which he pulled out for the big occasion. But Anderson thinks it became more apparent with each step that Noah was going to win.

“Lyles 2nd step/ stride kind of hung in the air, not to mention his start is customarily not his best race phase,” admits the expert as she goes on to elaborate how Lyles caught up with others in style. “…with 40m to go Thompson’s rotation starts tightening up shorter whereas Lyles is still running like a gazelle and looks more fluid. That last 30m was sheer will and confidence, beastly,” she emphasized. However, Josina isn’t the only one who’s enthralled by what Noah dished out in the City of Love just hours ago.

Noah Lyles’ fans back his golden triumph

A post on X from earlier today by football star Robert Griffin III highlighted the advice veteran track star Justin Gatlin had for Noah before the final race. “Just do what you do,” the 2004 Olympic gold medalist was heard saying in the social media post. “Noah just needs to do Noah,” said Gatlin as he opined that Noah should have faith in his own top speed.

He went on to alert his successor, “Don’t squeeze water from the rock,” noting that Lyles should play according to his advantages. Furthermore, two-time Olympic gold medalist Ashton Eaton also took to social media to underscore what aided Noah in his quest for the ultimate prize.

Referring to the speed graphics that he helped design in collaboration with tech giant Intel Eaton wrote, “Noah has the highest top speed by a slight margin but also hit it at a more ideal time,” implying that the latter’s win shouldn’t be a topic of debate.

Now that Noah has bagged his first Olympic gold, his sight will set on the incoming men’s 200m, which brought him his first Olympic medal three years ago. With the distance being his natural pasture, it remains to be seen if Noah can pull off another spectacle at the race and solidify his place among the greatest runners of all time.