An extraordinary men’s 100m final came down to a photo-finish and five thousandths of a second. That was the margin between the American Noah Lyles and the Jamaican Kishane Thompson, who both crossed the line in 9.79sec. After a long wait, and plenty of racing hearts. Lyles was declared the winner.
Another American, Fred Kerley, took bronze in 9.81sec, with the South African Akani Simbine fourth.
When Lyles won the world 200m title in 2022 he set his sights on a daring new goal: becoming a global star and influencer. It sounded like a preposterous dream. But then he won three gold medals at the 2023 world championships in Budapest and, with the Netflix cameras and boom mics in tow, he also emerged as the co-star of the docu-series Sprint. Now, after this, everything is on the table for him.
Lyles had been last after 15 metres, his start less explosive than his main rivals. But over the last few metres he closed on Thompson in front of him before getting the dip on the line.
When Netflix made Sprint, which has brought the adrenalised thrills of the 100 metres to an entire new audience, it never even bothered to speak to either Thompson or Oblique Seville. Instead, most of its focus was directed at those with a star spangled banner on their vest, including Lyles and Kerley.
It meant that when the sprinters were introduced to the 75,000 crowd at the Stade de France with a dazzling show and the soundtrack of Kavinsky, Lyles and Kerley were given the biggest cheers.
As they were introduced, Thompson roared, while Kerley put his fingers to his lips. Lyles, meanwhile, bounded halfway down the track, hollering in excitement.
Normally the sprinters do not have to wait long to start after that. Instead, they were kept an age standing on the blocks, as the crowd clapped and more music started playing. Perhaps that explained why they all seemed to run tight, and the times were less quick than had been expected.
Earlier, Britain’s two representatives in the 100m semi-finals, Louie Hinchliffe and Zharnel Hughes, failed to qualify. The 21-year-old Hinchliffe has had an incredible season, which has seen him win the prestigious NCAA title. However, he just missed out after coming third in his semi-final in 9.97sec.
“It was a good experience, not the result that I wanted,” he said. “Definitely a lot to learn. I haven’t seen the race back. Maybe I should have been more relaxed. I was a bit tense at the end.
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“There were a lot of mistakes. I should have been more relaxed going into it. It’s not the result that I wanted. I will come back stronger next year. I will not regress. It’s my first year on the scene. There is a lot more to come.”
Hughes, meanwhile, admitted that a hamstring injury in early June had affected his preparations after finishing sixth in 10.01sec in his semi-final.
“There is not much to assess,” he said. “I just didn’t make it. I am disappointed. I gave it my best. You all know I had a hamstring injury. It is not the easiest thing to come back from. Especially what I had, a grade two on the outside of the right hamstring.
“If we had more races, you know that I am a better performer than this. Last year I ended with 9.88 on the podium and with a bronze. It kind of sucks, being injured last minute just before the Olympics. But I am a fighter. I am very determined and that’s why I wanted to give it a go. I got the training in but the races is what I needed to get me race sharp.
“I rarely miss out on finals,” said Hughes, who won a 100m world championship bronze medal last year. “So this one is a bit hard to swallow. The road sometimes can be rocky. There are days that you guys don’t see the work behind the scenes and injuries that come along. We try to give our best. Today I gave it my best.”