Story Summary:
- Noah Lyles won gold in the men’s 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- Lyles finished with a time of 9.79 seconds.
- Akani Simbine of South Africa set a new national record but finished fourth.
- Lyles faced scrutiny before the race due to his controversial comments about “world champions.”
Noah Lyles won gold in the men’s 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing with a time of 9.79 seconds.
Noah Lyles posts inspiring reaction to winning gold at 2024 Paris Olympics
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The men’s 100m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics was one of the most anticipated events, featuring top sprinters from around the world.
Despite being considered an underdog, Team USA‘s Lyles surged to victory, clocking an impressive 9.79 seconds.
Lyles, who had faced scrutiny after making controversial comments about the misuse of the term “world champions” by American sports leagues, proved his critics wrong.
He came into the race with determination, having boasted about bringing “main character energy” to the track.
The final was incredibly close, with Lyles narrowly edging out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who also finished with a time of 9.79 seconds, but slightly behind Lyles by mere thousandths of a second.
Fred Kerley of the USA claimed bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds.
In a post-race interview with the BBC, Lyles expressed his elation, saying:
“A guy in biomechanics comes down, and before I came out here, he said it was going to be this much [gestures with his fingers]. That’s how close it is going to be and gosh was he right.”
Lyles took to social media to share his triumph and inspire others.
He posted:
“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!”
South Africa’s Akani Simbine finished fourth in the race, setting a new national record with a time of 9.82 seconds.
Despite missing out on a medal, Simbine’s performance was commendable.
He reflected on his achievement, saying:
“There is no South African that has been in three Olympic finals and placed higher than me. I am the one that is doing these things for the first time for every South African. That is a great thing on its own.”
Simbine will have another chance to compete for a medal in the men’s 4x100m relay, where Team South Africa aims to make it to the final. Simbine stated:
“We are not done, we are coming back in the relay. We’ve got three good guys that were in the semis. I was in the final. We’ve got another shot in the relay and we are going to go for it!”
The final results for the men’s 100m race were:
- Noah Lyles (USA) – 9.79
- Kishane Thompson (Jamaica) – 9.79
- Fred Kerley (USA) – 9.81
- Akani Simbine (South Africa) – 9.82
- Lamont Marcell Jacobs (Italy) – 9.85
- Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) – 9.86
- Kenneth Bednarek (USA) – 9.88
- Oblique Seville (Jamaica) – 9.91
