IT HAS FINALLY HAPPENED! The men’s 100m final at the Paris Olympics turned out to be a photo finish, with Noah Lyles edging out Kishane Thompson by the narrowest of margins. Both athletes clocked an impressive 9.79 seconds, showcasing the incredible speed and talent on display.

After an anxious wait, officials declared Lyles the victor, winning by a mere 1/1000th (0.005) of a second in this historic race that will be remembered as one of the closest finishes in Olympic history. Fred Kerley trailed closely behind at 9.81 seconds, securing a hard-fought bronze medal. Lyles, overwhelmed with joy, bound towards the awaiting reporters, his name card raised high in a triumphant gesture. As the stadium roared with deafening applause, he leaped for victory, the embodiment of pure elation as a new chapter in sprinting history unfolded before the world.

And this victory was more than just a gold medal for Lyles; it was a defining moment in a rivalry that had captivated the athletics world.

The rivalry between Noah Lyles and Jamaican phenom Oblique Seville has been one of the most captivating storylines in recent athletics. Their head-to-head 100m timings leading up to the Olympics paint a picture of a closely contested battle:

After Seville beat him and stared him down in the Racers Grand Prix June race with a timing of .03 less than Lyles, the latter vowed, “I’ll remember this. See you in Paris.” True to his word, Lyles not only met Seville in Paris but also outran him and the rest of the field, claiming the much-coveted Parisian gold, finally marking the end of the 20-year-long dominance razed by Jamaicans in the Olympics’ 100m track and field lanes. The shift in power was palpable.

The Paris Olympics men’s 100m final was a race for the ages. All eight finalists crossed the finish line under 10 seconds, a historic first in a wind-legal (+1.0) race. This extraordinary feat demonstrates the exceptional caliber of athletes competing on the world stage. Notably, Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs, the reigning Olympic champion from Tokyo, finished outside of medal contention with 9.85s, highlighting the fierce competition and constantly evolving landscape of sprinting.

Lyles, a six-time world champion and bronze medalist in the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics, expressed confidence leading up to the Games, setting a personal best of 9.81 in July’s London Athletics Meet. Now, he aims to add more golds from Paris to his repertoire, potentially participating in the 200m and relay events. But Lyles’ victory in the 100m was just the beginning of his coronation.

A new Sprint King is crowned as Noah Lyles’ legacy, and the future of American sprinting takes an ‘Expected’ turn

Interestingly, Lyles had previously acknowledged the impressive performances of Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville at the 2024 Jamaican Championships, stating, “Shout out to them boys running out there in Jamaica! Y’all are really helping to make this a great Olympic championship.” This camaraderie highlights the respect among these top athletes, even amidst fierce competition.

With this victory, the 27-year-old has now cemented his place among the sprinting elite and set the stage for an exciting future in athletics. His win not only marks a personal achievement but also signals a new era in American sprinting. Today is August 4, 2024, and Noah Lyles is 21 seconds away from breaking that ever-elusive record of 9.58 seconds for Usain Bolt’s best 100m. A star is born. And boy, does he know how to shine!