Paris 2024: Noah Lyles takes down Kishane Thompson to win USA's first Olympic title in 20 years

New Olympic champion Noah Lyles

Paris 2024: Noah Lyles takes down Kishane Thompson to win USA's first Olympic title in 20 years

Funmilayo Fameso 21:59 - 04.08.2024

Noah Lyles defeated the greatest 100m field in Olympic history to win his first Gold medal against fierce Jamaican rival Kishane Thompson.

In unarguably the greatest 100m final in Olympic history, Noah Lyles produced his best career performance against fierce Jamaican rival Kishane Thompson to win USA's first Olympic men's 100m title in 20 years.

The American speedster saved his best 100m race for the last at Paris 2024, having lost his heat and semifinal races. However, he rose to the occasion when it mattered most in the final, blazing to the finish line in a new Personal Best (PB) of 9.79s for his first Olympic gold medal.

Thompson, having arrived in Paris with the fastest time in the world as the favourite for the win, settled for the silver medal in an identical time of 9.79s with Lyles having the edge by a faster reaction of 0.005, while Fred Kerley showed why he's a former world champion by claiming the bronze medal in 9.81s.

Noah Lyles won in a photo finish to claim his first Olympic 100m gold medal

South Africa's Akani Simbine settled for another agonizing fourth-place finish in a new National Record (NR) of 9.82s, as defending champion Marcell Jacobs was fifth in a Season's Best (SB) of 9.85s ahead of Botswana's youngster Letsile Tebogo in a NR of 9.86s.

Once again, Lyles proved that he's a man for the big occasions and will always back up his words with actions by delivering big victories at major championships.

Noah Lyles is now the World and Olympic Champion

Despite the criticisms he faced for calling himself the 'world's fastest man' and having his goals of winning triple Olympic gold medals in Paris, Lyles has shown why he will always be the man to beat in the sprint.

With the 200m to come up where he stands as the outright favourite, the enigmatic sprinter is surely on course to achieve his Paris dreams, and when this happens, no one can displace his bragging claim as the World's Fastest Man.

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