THE incredible reason the men’s 100m Olympic final faced a lengthy hold-up has been revealed.
A track intruder got within METRES of the start line at the Stade de France in Paris before security staff managed to grab and contain them.
Even Noah Lyles, the comeback winner of a remarkable race, revealed he had been in the dark over the big delay.
And tension around the crowd cranked up as puzzled fans had to endure the surprise wait.
Lyles and Co had to wait in their starting blocks – one of the worst feelings for athletes at any time, let alone in sprinting’s blue-riband event at the world’s biggest sporting showpiece.
An X-user posted a picture of the dramatic moment he claimed was a person being halted – with the starting blocks in view.
He added the words: “Track invader stopped in time just before the 100m final….”
Fans reacted with surprise but were also delighted the “confusion” had been explained.
And Lyles revealed he had been as mystified as anyone.
The American hero said: “Is that what we were waiting for?
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“I didn’t see anybody try to get on the field, but I’m not going to lie, I was wondering what we were waiting for.
“In the meantime, the crowd were getting constantly getting more and more hyped. It didn’t feel as if it was completely dead.”
The 27-year-old went on to storm back and pip Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in a photo-finish by 0.05seconds.
The victor from Florida told the BBC: “You couldn’t have asked for a bigger moment.
“A guy in bio-mechanics said it was going to be this much, that’s how close it is going to be and gosh was he right.”
Meanwhile, viewers on social media reacted with shock to the explanation of the delay.
One posted: “Thanks, was confusing why they were held at the starting blocks for so long!”
Another wrote: “Hence the very long delay I presume?”
“That explains it,” said a third, while a fourth added: “Now we know why.”
