On Sunday afternoon, the fastest men in the world lined up across eight lanes in the men’s 100m in Paris to determine who would claim the title of “World’s Fastest Man.”
Entering the final, Jamaican sprinters Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville were the top two qualifiers followed by Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley of the U.S., Akani Simbine of South Africa, Letsile Tobogo of Botswana, Marcell Jacobs of Italy and Kenny Bednarek of the U.S.
The semifinals had been fast, with Jacobs and Bednarek losing in their heats but finishing with fast enough times to make the final. Jacobs was the reigning Olympic champion, Lyles the reigning World Champion and Thompson the biggest threat.
And while all were fast, only one man had a target on his back- Noah Lyles.
After a disappointing 2020 Olympic Games where he finished with a 200m bronze, Lyles found his groove over the next three years. At the World Championships in 2022, he took gold in the 200m. At the 2023 Worlds, he cemented his position in the sport as the man to beat after winning gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m.
That accomplishment made Lyles the first man since Usain Bolt in 2015 to win all three events and placed him second behind Bolt (4) with three gold medals in the 200m.
In 2022, Lyles ran his personal best in the 200m with 19.31, the third fastest in history (trailing only Bolt, 19.19 and Yohan Blake, 19.26). This year, he ran a personal best in the 100m of 9.81, just slightly under Thompson’s 9.77 run a month earlier.
But because of his persona, pre-race antics, Dragon Ball Z card exhibitions and unsuppressed confidence, Lyles was the runner everyone wanted to beat.
To his credit, he remained steadfast in his belief that he was the best.
After the first round of qualifying on Saturday, Lyles (10.04) placed second to Great Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe (9.98). In the semifinals, Lyles finished second behind Seville, and that’s when the doubters erupted.
Regardless, Lyles was in the final, accomplishing the first of two goals.
Now came the biggest race in his life.
At the gun, Lyles was in last place. As the race progressed, he still lagged behind.
But as the roar of the crowd escalated and the finish line approached, Lyles made his move and started reeling in the competition one by one.
He passed Tebogo, Seville, and Simbine. But could he catch Kerley or Thompson, who was thundering towards Olympic gold?
With 30 meters remaining, Lyles was in third. With 20 meters, he was still in third. With 10 short meters left, he surged into second and with only a few short feet remaining, Lyles took his last stride and leaned, letting his blistering speed and momentum carry him through the line.
The announcers initially gave the win to Thompson but official confirmation was still needed.
With the cameras focusing on the top two finishers, everyone waited for the result. Then Lyles raised his arms and the crowd exploded.
He had caught and passed Thompson by the width of a clavicle, beating him by .005 seconds, 9.784 to 9.789.
The thrilling race broke decades of disappointment for Team USA in the 100m.
For the first time in 20 years, the U.S. claimed 100m gold and placed two athletes on the Olympic 100m podium. The last time that happened was in 2004 when Justin Gatlin (9.85) took gold and Maurice Green (9.87) took bronze. That race was almost as thrilling as the top four finishers went 9.85, 9.86, 9.87 and 9.89.
“America! I told you! I got this!” screamed Lyles into the camera as he ran around the track with his name card held high for all to see.
It was a moment of vindication for the sprinter who fought battles off the track to become a World and now Olympic champion.
“I have Asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and Depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!” posted Lyles on X/Twitter.
But Lyles is not done yet.
He still has his best event, the 200m, coming up followed by, most likely, the 4x100m.
Tonight, Noah Lyles is the fastest man in the world yet he still has work to do. So next time, believe him when he tells you what he’s going to do.
