Noah Lyles Takes Gold With the Closest Finish in 100m History: Five-Thousandths of a Second — See His Photo Finish Win Here
When it comes to competing in the Olympics, placing in the Games can come down to a second, a half a second — even a millisecond. For Team USA’s Noah Lyles, this proved to be the case as he competed in the men’s 100-meter, winning with a photo finish that was perhaps the closest in history. The last race that was this close was in Moscow in 1980, but back then, the timers didn’t measure to the thousandths of a second.
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Lyles, who placed first in the race, brought home a gold medal for the United States in this particular event for the first time in 20 years — and it all came down to 0.005 seconds. You can watch it here!
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Noah Lyles’ photo finish has become an overnight phenomenon, and the 27-year-old athlete was full of confidence ahead of the race, despite standing alongside some fierce competitors, including Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson.
The race, which concluded in a flash, was a tough one to decipher, and in the end, it all came down to whose torso passed the line first. When the race concluded and the competitors stood awaiting the results, Lyles approached Jamaica’s Thompson in a gesture of support, thinking he was the one who came out on top.
"We were waiting for the names to pop up, and I'm going to be honest, I came over [to Thompson] and I was like: 'I think you got that one, big dog!',” Lyles explained after the race in a press conference as reported by ESPN.
Andy Cheung/Getty Images
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However, it was Lyles who would ultimately take home the gold, exclaiming at the camera once his win was announced, “America, I told you I got this!” Winning by five-thousandths of a second, Lyles realizes what this victory means.
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"When I saw my name, I was like I didn’t do this against a slow field," Lyles said per the Associated Press. "I did this against the best of the best, on the biggest stage, with the biggest pressure."
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Who is Noah Lyles?
The young athlete from Alexandria, VA has been breaking records for years, first making his Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games and taking home the bronze medal for the 200-meter final.
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He has come out victorious in countless world championships in recent years following the 2020 Games and continues to work toward breaking records. In a post shared to his social media following his win, Lyles wrote, “I have Asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and Depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!”
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