Noah Lyles does not want to settle for gold in the 100 meters in Paris. His showpiece distance is yet to come. But his victory in the supreme discipline was razor-thin. The US American even thought he had been beaten at first.
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- The US American Noah Lyles wins the 100 meter sprint by a wafer-thin margin ahead of Kishane Thompson to take gold.
- The photo finish showed that Lyles won. He was only 0.005 seconds faster than top favorite Thompson - and initially thought he had lost out.
- It is not to be the last Olympic victory for the 27-year-old. Lyles is also aiming for the gold medal in the 200 meters and promises his rivals: "When I come off the bend, they'll get depressed."
After his Olympic victory in the 100 meters, Noah Lyles is aiming for the sprint triple in Paris. Just one day after the razor-thin decision over the supreme distance, the 27-year-old American will start again in the preliminary heat on his showpiece 200-meter track. "I'm pretty confident, I can't lie about that," says Lyles with a laugh after the first Olympic gold of his career.
The three-time world champion in the 200 meters makes it unmistakably clear that victory in the double distance will only come through him. "I will win," says Lyles and promises his rivals: "When I come out of the bend, they will get depressed." In the meantime, former world champion Fred Kerley, who came third in the 100 meters, had long since jokingly whispered to him: "Are you talking shit, man?"
At that moment, shortly before midnight on Sunday evening in the Stade de France, the tension of the 100-meter final was gone from Lyles. Before the start, he bounced around the track like a bouncy ball, knowing full well that it would be a close decision. Afterwards, at the press conference, he showed what he meant with minimal space between his thumb and index finger.
Lyles initially thought Thompson had won
Three years after a disappointing Games for him in Tokyo with bronze in the 200 meters, the world's best sprinter has reached the finish line. After a very close finish in the 100 meters, just five thousandths of a second ahead of second-placed Kishane Thompson, Lyles initially thought the Jamaican had won. Together they both looked anxiously at the scoreboard until the result was clear.
According to "World Athletics ", it was the fastest 100-meter final in history. For the first time ever, eight men have broken the 10-second barrier in competition conditions. Kenneth Bednarek, who finished in 7th place, would have won bronze with the same time in Tokyo three years ago.
The Corona Games in Tokyo were a turning point for Lyles, he reports. He is constantly looking for ways to improve. Last year's triple world champion in Budapest also talks about the pressure he is under. He is the star of a Netflix series, an advertising figure.
Rapper Snoop Dogg came to Saint-Denis to watch the Olympic final. "He said I'm the one. I'm not going to say that's not pressure. It's definitely pressure," Lyles emphasizes. The moment wasn't bigger than him, but the moment was made for him. It should not be the last of these games in Paris.
