Noah Lyles recently spoke with The Spun and Celsius about his incredible experience at the Paris Olympics prior to winning the gold medal in the 100-meter category. The American sprinter described the race’s extraordinary intensity, including the drama centering on the close finish of the race.
While Lyles became the first American male track and field athlete to win a gold medal in the 100 meters in 20 years, he did so against a formidable field. The 27-year-old stated that his gaze was fixed on one of his Jamaican rivals, Oblique Seville before the race started.
Lyles started from Lane 7, and his main competitors were on his left side. So he was focusing on them from the jump. When he saw the Jamaican charging beyond the 30-meter mark, the American sprinter began to put more force into his strides.
Lyles explained that as he approached the 80-meter mark, he was unaware of his competitors’ positions. They were so close together that the American couldn’t tell if Seville, Kishane Thompson, and others were behind or ahead of him.
At the 90-meter mark, Lyles felt the need to lean forward, keeping his torso ahead. The grid crossed the finish line with the athletes separated by fraction of a second. Everyone at the Stade de France was unclear about the race’s outcome. Lyles explained the haywire of emotions:
“I crossed the line and to be honest I didn’t know who won. I don’t think any of us knew who won. There’s me saying to Kishane that I think he won. Later on he was under the belief that I had won.“
The 27-year-old wasn’t the only one perplexed after crossing the finish line at the Stade de France. Every athlete finished so close together that they were unsure of the race’s results. Lyles even admitted to questioning himself about whether or not he had won the gold medal.
He said that he kept telling his Jamaican rival Thompson that the latter might have won the race. But the 23-year-old had an alternative point of view. However, when the race results were released, the American sprinter was astounded, as he explained:
“Finally my name comes up first and I’m like ‘Oh my goodness.’ Amazing. I couldn’t believe I pulled it off. I didn’t really know how I did it, I just went for a lean. From there on it was just history in the making.“
The American athlete had a wide range of emotions throughout the 100-meter event. He was determined to win the gold medal, although he was not the fan favorite due to Thompson’s timing of 9.77 at the Jamaican Olympic Trials.
Despite all the predictions, he overcame the challenge and crossed the finish line in the finals in 9.79 seconds. Lyles finished 0.005 seconds ahead of Thompson, with Fred Kerley coming in third with a 9.81. This was also the 27-year-old’s first Olympic gold medal, marking a significant milestone in his prolific track career.
