Topline
American runner Noah Lyles won the gold medal in the 100 meter sprint Sunday—with a time of 9.784 seconds—beating Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by just five thousandths of a second and becoming the first American in 20 years to win gold in the event.
Noah Lyles, of the United States, celebrates after winning the men’s 100-meters final at the 2024 … [+]
Key Facts
Lyles won his first ever Olympic gold medal in a photo finish, with the runners having to wait for a photo review to know who won the race.
After the photo review confirmed he won the gold, Lyles celebrated and looked into a camera to say, “America, I told you,” NBC News reported.
Team USA’s Fred Kerley took bronze in the event with a time of 9.81 seconds.
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What To Watch For
Whether he wins another gold. Lyles is pursuing the Olympic double—winning the 100 meter sprint and the 200 meter sprint, which is run on Thursday—at the Paris Olympics. He won both races at the Olympic trials in June.
Tangent
The last American man to win the 100 meter sprint at the Olympics was Justin Gatlin in 2004. Gatlin won it with a speed of 9.85 seconds.
Key Background
Lyles, 27, is from Gainesville, Florida, and had previously committed to run track at the University of Florida, but turned professional instead and signed an eight-year contract with Adidas in 2016, The Washington Post reported. In 2023, he was named the Male Track Athlete of the Year by World Athletics and is a three-time recipient of the Jesse Owens Awards, which honors USA Track & Field’s male athlete of the year, in 2018, 2022 and 2023—making him the second man ever to receive the award three times. He won a bronze medal at the 2021 Olympic games in Tokyo in the 200 meter dash.
Further Reading
Israel and Hamas. Previously, she has covered a range of topics from Donald Trump’s legal battles to Taylor Swift’s path to becoming a billionaire. She joined Forbes in April 2022 and is based in Colorado. Prior to joining Forbes, Bohannon covered local news and spent time at the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Arizona Republic. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Creighton University and has an MA in investigative journalism from Arizona State. Follow Bohannon for continued coverage of pop culture, politics and updates on the war in Gaza.
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