SAINT-DENIS, France — His braggadocio might rub some the wrong way. His calculated theatrics and thirst for attention might make him seem a bit less reverential. His arrogance might even make some root against him.
But what always takes precedence in the realm of banter is backing it up. Hubris is easier to swallow when justified.
Noah Lyles’ mouth wrote the check. His feet just cashed it.
In a most epic final, certainly, among the deepest in Olympic history, Lyles won in a photo finish. By five-thousands of a second. The closest race since Athens 2004.
Lyles said the moment is made for him. This was a monster moment. High drama in Paris. Jamaicans Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville looked daunting in the semifinals, Seville beating Lyles in the semifinal heat. But that brought the best out of Noah.
His time of 9.784 seconds in the men’s 100-meter dash was his personal best and gave the United States its first gold in 20 years. He’s the third American to pull it off in this millennium, joining Justin Gatlin and Maurice Green. Now, he aims for Carl Lewis.
Thompson took silver with a 9.789. American Fred Kerley took the bronze with a 9.81.
Phase 1 of Lyles’ grand plan to win Olympic gold in the 100 and 200 is complete. The hardest part of this vaunted double is complete. With the 100 in the bag, he now embarks on the 200 meters on Monday. Lewis was the last American to win gold in those two events in 1984. The last sprint double was by Michael Johnson in 1996, when he won the 200 and 400 in Atlanta.
(Photo: Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)
The 200 is his main event. He’s the best in the world at it and has been for this entire Olympic cycle. The best chance to shut him up was the 100 and the world couldn’t do it, which is quite incredible given the context.
His hiccup in the first heat of the 100-meters on Saturday — when he finished second to Great Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe, casting doubt about his readiness for this massive stage — proved to be just that. A hiccup. Lyles said he wouldn’t underestimate the field again. He brought his best and, just as it was in the 2023 World Championships, as featured on the Netflix documentary “Sprint,” no one else could top him.
That’s the overlooked part of all this: what Noah has done to become a world class sprinter is a testament to his immense talent. He went into another discipline, which had its own great talents and decided to take them on.
Lyles finished seventh in the 100-meter final at the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials, failing to qualify for the Tokyo Games in the discipline. Seventh. He and coach Lance Brauman went to work, turning him into an elite short-range sprinter.
Three years later, he’s the undisputed fastest man in the world. He spoke about wanting to do it. He predicted he would do it. Then he did it. The D.C. area kid pulled a Marlo and took over another turf.
No matter your preference for an athlete’s personality, such eliteness must be acknowledged. After all his talking, he is now the king of track and field’s most glorious event. Might want to brace for an even louder Lyles.
Required reading
(Photo: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)
