The outspoken athletic star Noah Lyles has proven his claim to the title of “fastest man in the world” after winning the gold medal for the men's 100-meter in a heart-stopping photo finish at the 2024 Olympics. Lyles crossed the finish line in 9.784 ahead of the Jamaican Kishane Thompson with a time of 9.789, a difference of only five-thousandths of a second. Another US Olympian, Fred Kerley, rounded out the Paris medalists, winning the bronze medal with a finishing time of 9.81.
Noah Lyles inspires fans
After his rousing victory, Noah Lyles went on social media to thank his fans for the support and inspire the next generation of athletics stars.
“I have asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and depression,” Lyles wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. For aspiring track runners who want to claim the title of “fastest in the world,” Lyles adds, “But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become.”
“Why not you!” he said, capping off his message.
A few months ago, he caught some heat with the NBA world for his comments on its teams calling themselves “world champions” despite playing only in North America. However, Magic Johnson and Dwyane Wade congratulated Lyles for his victory in Paris.
Ending the US' Olympic drought
Meanwhile, the race itself was so close that the runners had to wait for the official photo review to determine who won. They didn't quite know who finished first, and Lyles even believed that the Jamaican had won. “I did think Thompson had it at the end,” the gold medal winner said. “I went up to him when we were waiting and I said, ‘I think you got that one big dog.'” When the officials finally announced the winners, even Lyles was surprised. “And then my name popped up and I'm like, ‘Oh gosh, I'm amazing,'” he said.
With this Paris win, Noah Lyles ended a 20-year Olympic gold medal drought for the United States in the 100-meter dash. Moreover, his victory came by the narrowest margin since the Olympics adopted electronic timing. The medal only cemented the 27-year-old runner's growing legacy as a world-famous track star, and as the current world champion in the 100m and 200m events.
Asked about the competition, Lyles said, “It's the hard battle, it's the amazing opponents. Everybody's healthy, everybody came prepared for the fight and I wanted to prove that I'm the man amongst all of them.”
Once again, he finished his response to reporters with a quote for the ages. “I'm the wolf among wolves,” he said.
What's next for Noah Lyles after his new gold medal? The new fastest man in the world said that he wasn't done yet and added that his goal was to win more gold medals at the 2024 Olympics. Still, this gold might already be his crowning achievement over his bronze in 200m at the Tokyo Olympics and his six gold medals as world champion.
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