Current:Home > MyNoah Lyles wins Olympic 100 by five-thousandths of a second, among closest finishes in Games history -AssetLink
Noah Lyles wins Olympic 100 by five-thousandths of a second, among closest finishes in Games history
View
Date:2025-04-18 01:16:02
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Noah Lyles won the Olympic 100 meters by .005 seconds Sunday, waiting some 30 seconds after the finish of an excruciatingly close sprint to find out he’d beaten Kishane Thompson of Jamaica.
The word “Photo” popped up on the scoreboard after Lyles and Thompson dashed to the line. Lyles paced the track with his hands draped over his head. Finally, the numbers came up. Lyles won in 9.784 seconds to edge out the Jamaican by five-thousandths of a tick of the clock.
America’s Fred Kerley came in third at 9.81. The top seven all finished within .09 of each other.
This was the closest 1-2 finish in the 100 since at least Moscow in 1980 — or maybe even ever. Back then, Britain’s Allan Wells narrowly beat Silvio Leonard in an era when the electronic timers didn’t go down into the thousandths of a second.
Thank goodness they do now.
Lyles became the first American to win the marquee event in Olympic track since Justin Gatlin in 2004.
The 9.784 also marks a personal best for Lyles, who has been promising to add his own brand of excitement to track and certainly delivered this time.
He will be a favorite later this week in the 200 meters — his better race — and will try to join Usain Bolt as the latest runner to win both Olympic sprints.
For perspective, the blink of an eye takes, on average, .1 second, which was 20 times longer than the gap between first and second in this one.
What was the difference? Maybe Lyles’ closing speed and his lean into the line. He and Thompson had two of the three slowest bursts from the blocks, and Thompson had what sufficed for a “lead” at the halfway point.
But this would take more than 10 seconds to decide. When Lyles learned he’d won it, he pulled off his name tag and raised it to the sky, then brought his hands to his side and pointed at the camera.
Yes, he’s the World’s Fastest Man. Just not by a lot.
___
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
veryGood! (251)
Related
- Everything Simone Biles did at the Paris Olympics was amplified. She thrived in the spotlight
- Noah Cyrus' New Look Is Far Departure From Her Free the Nipple Moment
- I Have Hundreds of Lip Liners, Here Are My Top Picks Starting at $1— MAC, NYX, and More
- Retired Georgia mascot Uga X dies. 'Que' the bulldog repped two national champion teams.
- Jury selection set for Monday for ex-politician accused of killing Las Vegas investigative reporter
- 1000-lb Sisters' Tammy Slaton Is Officially Soaring to New Heights With Her First Plane Ride
- Sofía Vergara reveals why she and Joe Manganiello divorced
- Led by Chiefs-Bills thriller, NFL divisional round averages record 40 million viewers
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Oscar nomination for ’20 Days in Mariupol’ is a first for the 178-year-old Associated Press
Ranking
- 'Meet me at the gate': Watch as widow scatters husband's ashes, BASE jumps into canyon
- Christopher Eccleston alleges A-list actress falsely accused him of 'copping a feel' on set
- 'Angel watching over us': Family grieves 13-year-old South Carolina boy after hunting death
- Kansas lawmakers want a report on last year’s police raid of a newspaper
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- A blast of cold lets gators show off a special skill to survive icy weather
- I Have Hundreds of Lip Liners, Here Are My Top Picks Starting at $1— MAC, NYX, and More
- Memphis residents endure 4 days of water issues after cold weather breaks pipes: 'It's frustrating'
Recommendation
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
Kansas lawmakers want a report on last year’s police raid of a newspaper
New Hampshire takeaways: Trump’s path becomes clearer. So does the prospect of a rematch with Biden.
Dwayne Johnson named to UFC/WWE group's board, gets full trademark rights to 'The Rock'
Olympic disqualification of gold medal hopeful exposes 'dark side' of women's wrestling
Police say a former Haitian vice-consul has been slain near an airport in Haiti
Common Shares His Perspective on Marriage After Confirming Jennifer Hudson Romance
Biden, Harris team up to campaign for abortion rights in Virginia