Noah Lyles’ 100m Gold Sets Stage for First US Sprint Double Since Carl Lewis

Lela MooreAugust 4, 2024

Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty Images

Noah Lyles won the men’s 100-meter final in a photo finish Sunday, defeating Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by five-thousandths of a second.

He now has the chance to become the first American man to win the sprint double—gold in the 100- and 200-meter races in the same Olympics—since Carl Lewis in 1984 and just the third man to win it in the last 50 years. Jamaica’s Usain Bolt accomplished the feat for three Olympics in a row, in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Lyles’ time of 9.79(.784) seconds was a personal best for him. Neither he nor Thompson was certain who had won for nearly a minute, until a video review of the finish was completed.

Thompson took the silver with a time of 9.79(.789). American Fred Kerley won bronze in 9.81, his second medal in the event after he won silver in Tokyo.

The men’s 200-meter final takes place on Thursday, and Lyles is a big favorite. He’s looking to become the 10th man to win the sprint double in the same Olympics, joining a group that includes Jesse Owens (1936).

That Lyles would be on the start line for this event in Paris was expected after he won the 100m in last year’s world championships. But it was never guaranteed.

Lyles has been open about his mental health struggles during and after his first Olympic experience three years ago in Tokyo. Lyles was a contender for the 100m but did not qualify for the Olympics in the event after finishing seventh at U.S. Trials. In the 200m, Lyles’ specialty, he settled for Olympic bronze and then opened up to reporters about being diagnosed with depression and anxiety. In 2020, he shared on Twitter that he had been taking antidepressants. Lyles, who has asthma, compared the isolation of the pandemic to almost being like a constant asthma attack. He was open, too, about coming off his medication because he felt it was negatively impacting his training heading into Tokyo. And after he took bronze in a race he was expected to win, he decided to let the world know how he really felt.

“It’s OK not to feel good,” he told the reporters, continuing the conversation even when track and field officials tried to end his session.

Lyles, who had won the 200m at the 2019 world championships, repeated as world champion in 2022, breaking Michael Johnson’s 1996 American record in the process, setting in motion a return to his pre-pandemic form. He won the 200m again at worlds 2023, where he also hit the double for the first time in his career, setting a then-personal best in the 100m with a 9.83. He tacked on a gold in the 4x100m relay as well. The expectations were set for Paris.

In the Netflix documentary Sprint, Lyles cemented himself as must-see TV. He praised the documentary and the accessibility it gave him to media following his win. “I’ve always looked at my sport like we can do more. The fans are out there—we just need to reach them.”

To media following his win, Lyles said, “It’s my first time here on the Olympic stage” in the 100m. He acknowledged his errors underestimating his competition in the early rounds of his races in Tokyo. “I was like, ‘I’m never going to do that again.'”

But he almost did. Lyles got off to a slow start off the blocks in his semifinal, finishing second to Jamaican Oblique Seville, who had been the only competitor to best the American this season. Thompson, who entered the event with the world’s best time of the season, finished first in his own semifinal. The pressure was on.

Lyles entered the stadium blocks with his characteristic enthusiasm and hubris. And while his start was quicker than in his semifinal, an analysis of the race showed that Lyles was in eighth place with 60 meters left to go and never led until his final steps over the line—when it mattered the most.