Noah Lyles becomes world's fastest man winning men's 100m gold at Paris Olympics
On Sunday, American sprinter Noah Lyles re-established himself as the fastest man in the world, winning the 100-meter dash at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It’s Lyles’ first Olympic gold medal in the event, succeeding Italy’s Marcell Jacobs who took home first place in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Lyles posted a 9.79-second time in the event — five-thousandths of a second faster than Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who finished second in the event. United States’ Fred Kerley followed closely behind, securing a bronze medal.
Lyles is the first American to win gold in the 100m race since Justin Gatlin in 2004. Lyles entered the 2024 Paris Olympics as the favorite in the event after winning the 2023 World Championship. However, following a subpar lead-up to the final, the narrative began to shift.
Lyles blocked out the noise and delivered a single message after his victory to all the viewers back home, cheering him on: “America, I told you. I got this.”
The 100m gold medal is only the latest accolade in Lyles’ resume. He also hauled in the bronze medal in the 200-meter dash at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. After his slow start in Paris, Lyles warned fans to not give up on him.
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“These boys said they ain’t coming to play,” Lyles said, via ESPN. “And I guess that’s my first lesson in underestimating the power of an Olympics. When somebody’s on the line, they say they’re going to give it their all or nothing.
“It wasn’t tougher,” Lyles said. “I was more expecting that they would just fall in line, and they didn’t, they took it as ‘I got one shot and I’m going to take it.’ And to be honest, I should have expected that knowing that this is the Olympics. But this is my first time in an Olympic 100. I didn’t. That’s on me, and I won’t let that happen again.”
Lyles followed through on his promise and properly celebrated following his triumph. The Florida native ran into the crowd to celebrate with his mother, who understandably had tears running down her face. He then draped the American flag around his shoulders while holding up his nameplate to the sky.
Noah Lyles isn’t done yet, either. The 27-year-old standout is also expected to compete in the 200m dash and the 4x100m relay. With any luck, Lyles will have more chances to silence his doubters throughout the week.