SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Noah Lyles won the Olympic 100 meters by .005 seconds Sunday, waiting some 30 seconds after the finish of an excruciatingly close sprint to find out he’d beaten Kishane Thompson of Jamaica.
The word “Photo” popped up on the scoreboard after Lyles and Thompson dashed to the line. Lyles paced the track with his hands draped over his head. Finally, the numbers came up. Lyles won in 9.784 seconds to edge out the Jamaican by five-thousandths of a tick of the clock.
America’s Fred Kerley came in third at 9.81. The top seven all finished within .09 of each other.
This was the closest 1-2 finish in the 100 since at least Moscow in 1980 — or maybe even ever. Back then, Britain’s Allan Wells narrowly beat Silvio Leonard in an era when the electronic timers didn’t go down into the thousandths of a second.
Thank goodness they do now.
Lyles became the first American to win the marquee event in Olympic track since Justin Gatlin in 2004.
The 9.784 also marks a personal best for Lyles, who has been promising to add his own brand of excitement to track and certainly delivered this time.
He will be a favorite later this week in the 200 meters — his better race — and will try to join Usain Bolt as the latest runner to win both Olympic sprints.
For perspective, the blink of an eye takes, on average, .1 second, which was 20 times longer than the gap between first and second in this one.
What was the difference? Maybe Lyles’ closing speed and his lean into the line. He and Thompson had two of the three slowest bursts from the blocks, and Thompson had what sufficed for a “lead” at the halfway point.
But this would take more than 10 seconds to decide. When Lyles learned he’d won it, he pulled off his name tag and raised it to the sky, then brought his hands to his side and pointed at the camera.
Yes, he’s the World’s Fastest Man. Just not by a lot.
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: Noah Lyles of Team United States crosses the finish line to win the Men's 100m Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: An aerial view as Noah Lyles of Team United States competes the Men's 100m Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: Noah Lyles of Team United States on his way to victory in the Men's 100m Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
(Bottom to top) Italy's Lamont Marcell Jacobs, Botswana's Letsile Tebogo, US' Noah Lyles, Jamaica's Oblique Seville, South Africa's Akani Simbine, Jamaica's Kishane Thompson, US' Fred Kerley amd US' Kenneth Bednarek compete in the men's 100m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 4, 2024. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: Noah Lyles of Team United States celebrates winning the gold medal in the Men's 100m Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: Noah Lyles of Team United States celebrates winning the gold medal in the Men's 100m Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
US' Noah Lyles reacts after crossing the finish line in first place, winning the men's 100m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 4, 2024. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
US' Noah Lyles (C) celebrates after winning the men's 100m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 4, 2024. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP) (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)
US' Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the men's 100m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 4, 2024. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP) (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)
Journalists surround US' Noah Lyles as he celebrates with family after winning the men's 100m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 4, 2024. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP) (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: Noah Lyles of Team United States celebrates winning the gold medal in the Men's 100m Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: Noah Lyles of Team United States crosses the finish line to win the Men's 100m Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
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