Paris 2024: Noah Lyles savours thrilling 100m gold after proving doubters wrong - ‘I’m the wolf amongst wolves’
Updated 04/08/2024 at 23:59 GMT+1
Noah Lyles declared himself “the man amongst all of them” after winning gold in the final of the men’s 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The American pipped Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by just five thousandths of a second in one of the most thrilling finals in the event’s history. The victory means Lyles will have the chance to complete the sprint double when he races in the 200m.
'I'm incredible!' - Lyles says he 'proved that I'm the man' in 100m final
Video credit: TNT Sports
America’s Noah Lyles said his victory in a thrilling Olympic men’s 100m final proves he is “the man amongst all of them."
There were doubts over the form of the 27-year-old after his heat and semi-final in Paris, but he did what all great champions do and produced when it mattered most.
With the eyes of the world watching, Lyles ran a personal best 9.784 seconds to beat Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by just 0.005 seconds in a razor-thin photo finish.
“It’s the one I wanted,” Lyles told Eurosport. “It’s the hard battle, it’s the amazing opponents, it’s everybody’s healthy, everybody came prepared for the fight.
“I wanted to prove that I’m the man amongst all of them. I’m the wolf amongst wolves.”
There was a hint of confusion when the athletes crossed the line. Thompson let out a roar as if he had won, while Lyles himself was among those who thought the Jamaican had edged it.
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Watch thrilling photo finish in 100m final as Lyles claims stunning gold
Video credit: TNT Sports
But when the final verdict was delivered, Lyles celebrated in typically audacious fashion, holding his name tag aloft as he soaked up the adulation of the thousands inside the Stade de France.
He added: “I went up to Kishane [Thompson] and I was like, ‘I’m going to be honest, I think you had that one’, I was fully prepared to see his name pop up - to see my name pop up I’m like goodness gracious, I’m incredible!
“Ever since I saw that bell, I dreamed of ringing that bell. I saw some people ring it once, twice, three times. I said no, when I get my chance I’m ringing that thing as many times as possible.”
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It sets up the prospect of a sprint double for Lyles as he goes for gold in the 200m.
“That’s my better event and now that I’ve got a new PR in the 100, I’m ready to take it to the 200.”
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100m champion Lyles rings victory bell after 'greatest showman' takes gold
Video credit: TNT Sports
Lyles a 'true champion' - Thomas
Eurosport pundit Iwan Thomas was left in “disbelief” after the heroics of Lyles.
Thomas predicted Thompson would prevail but was full of praise for the American and encouraged aspiring athletes to take note.
“I’m in disbelief,” Thomas said. “That – for any young athlete watching – is how you do a championships. In the heats – alright; in the semi-final – not that great. Who cares?
“In the final he ran a personal best – the fastest he’s ever run in his life when it mattered. That is a true champion. What a man.”
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