NASCAR compares Noah Lyles’ Olympic 100M win to Atlanta photo-finish

An exhilarating finish to the men’s 100m resulted in a Noah Lyles victory and an apt comparison from NASCAR. On a day like today, all Americans can celebrate racing, on foot and in a car.

The finish to the 100m was a three-wide, four-wide affair. It was hard to tell who had won the race as the field came across the line. The finish was so close it reminded folks of another race finish…

Of course, I’m talking about the three-wide ending to the Atlanta race this season. Daniel Suárez, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Busch three-abreast across the line.

That NASCAR race was decided by 0.003 seconds. Noah Lyles won his race by 0.005 seconds. An apt comparison, if you ask me.

Same energy. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/QGtTtmuwyX

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 4, 2024

Kishane Thompson appeared to be the winner. However, a late charge from Lyles in the final 50m, his trademark at this point, solidified the win for USA. Fred Kerley picked up his second Olympic medal in third place. Kerley was runner-up in Tokyo.

Noah Lyles did what he sought to do. Now, he has a 200m gold medal to chase.

Lyles is an athlete that likes to have the attention on him. He thrives under pressure. When he entered the Paris Olympics, there were questions about whether or not he could get the job done. Now, we are all questioning whether or not he’s going to win the double.

So, another gold medal and another stellar performance from Lyles. Team USA is starting to come on strong as the Olympic games start to wind down. While the USA trailed in gold medals for a number of days, that is starting to change.

Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley medal for Team USA

Since Usain Bolt retired, there has been a strange feelings in Track & Field. Who is going to carry the torch? Can anyone step up? While 9.58 looks very safe for the time being, Noah Lyles wants to become that star, the one everybody talks about.

With his first Olympic gold medal at the age of 27, he has time. There is a ton of young talent in the sport at the moment, but Lyles shows no signs of slowing down. The scary thing is, he’s probably better in the 200m with how strong his second half of the race can be.

It would be terrible if I forgot about Fred Kerley in this equation. Kerley was known as a 400m specialist in college and early in his pro career. With a 43.64 second PR in the quarter-mile, it’s no wonder why. When he switched to the 100m before Tokyo, he was judged. Now look at him, a two-time Olympic medal winner.

Noah Lyles won one of the most exciting 100m races we have seen in quite some time. He almost ran out of room, but had just enough to get ahead of the field and secure his first-ever Olympic gold.