Off The Record
This Is Why Noah Lyles Won a Gold Medal Even Though His Rival Crossed the Finish Line First
- Noah Lyles won gold at the 100-meter final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, despite starting slow and trailing in the early stages.
- The race’s dramatic conclusion surprised many, as an image showed that his opponent crossed the line first.
- An explanation was offered to eager fans, helping them understand how Lyles clinched the gold.
Noah Lyles’s road to becoming the 2024 Olympic champion in Paris was extraordinary. Following his participation in the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he placed third in the men’s 200-meter final, Lyles experienced melancholy and was afraid to compete again.
But after receiving encouragement from his high school therapist, he went back to the track. Lyles has now won the gold medal in the men’s 100-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. His unexpected victory surprised the crowd because it appeared that his opponent had crossed the finish line first in an online image.
There was drama, even a delay in the Olympic 100-meter final race. Shortly before the men’s final began, security at Stade de France had to step in and seize a man who attempted to climb onto the track.
Before he could get to the purple part of the track, a man who appeared to be wearing a T-shirt that proclaimed “Free Palestine,” was tackled to the ground.
Before Lyles won the gold in what turned out to be one of the most exciting 100-meter events ever, social media images showed the protester being led away by authorities.
Lyles reacted to the starting pistol the slowest, which made for an exciting opening to the race. He was still holding seventh place in the close eight-man race halfway through.
Lyles pulled ahead in the last steps, closing the gap on Thompson, American Fred Kerley, and South Africa’s Akani Simbine by a mere nanosecond. In the end, he surprised everyone—including himself—by winning the race.
For three years Lyles had boldly predicted he would win this gold medal, and he had yearned for it. In the interview, Lyles did admit that he wasn’t convinced he had won at first.
The picture finish had taken a while for the scoreboard to process, thus there was no instantaneous indication of who had won gold, silver, or bronze. The boisterous, sold-out stadium waited in suspense, sharing in the uncertainty.
During this time, Lyles and Thompson conversed. Lyles told Thompson, “I think you got that one, big dog.” However, Thompson replied, “I’m not even sure. It was that close.”
Thompson’s assessment of the race’s closeness was confirmed as Lyles emerged victorious, finishing a mere 0.05 seconds ahead of the field.
In 9.79 seconds, Noah Lyles earned his first gold medal. After Justin Gatlin’s triumph in 2004, he became the first American to win gold in the Olympic 100 meters.
“I didn’t do this against a slow field. I did this against the best of the best, on the biggest stage with the biggest pressure. And seeing that name, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, there it is,'” gushed Lyles.
It is true that the race was historic. Kenny Bednarek’s time of 9.88 seconds, good for seventh place, was so fast that it would have guaranteed him a medal in both the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
After Lyles’ win, the NBC Olympics and Paralympics page celebrated him, writing, ” NOAH LYLES’ OLYMPIC DREAM COMES TRUE! 100M GOLD MEDALIST. #ParisOlympics.”
BET99 Ontario also chimed in, “Best finish to a race ever.” The Kong Center page commented, ” Wow. What a finish! Great work by everyone and congrats to Lyles 🇺🇸.”
The beginning drama, Lyles’s delayed reaction time, and the general speed of the race attracted a lot of attention.
The picture that showed Thompson’s foot had crossed the line first, however, startled a lot of people. While Lyles secured the win, others contended that Thompson came in ahead of him.
Philanthropist Farhiya Abass, asked, “How is Noah Lyles the winner here? 🤔.” “Wait. How did Noah Lyles win?,” another person also questioned. “I know! I still can’t believe it! Thompson should’ve won gold 🥇,” another user shared.
A fan who thought the gold should be shared, wrote, “Noah Lyles and Alisha Thompson ran 9.79, but Noah is declared the winner. Why can’t they share the gold??? 🤷🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️ just unfair dnt tell me about 1000th of a sec.”
One user answered the question many fans were asking, “For those confused as to why Noah Lyles was awarded Gold instead of Thompson, even though Thompson’s foot crossed 1st: The clock stops when your torso crosses the line not 1st body part.”
The user elaborated, “Noah leans w/ his chest, while Thompson subtly concaves his chest. That was the difference.” Still, unconvinced fans shared their opinion, “That is a ridiculous rule, but still strange Thompson didn’t know it.”
A further commenter expressed disbelief with the answer, writing, “I always thought a foot race was supposed to be decided by feet.”
Lyles ignored the doubts of some online users and celebrated his victory. Proud of how far he had come, he relished his win. He jotted on X, “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!”
Just twelve months before the Olympics, Lyles had won a world championship in the 100 meters. At the Budapest, Hungary, 2023 World Championships, he won one of the three gold medals.
However, the competitor realized that his own Olympic performances have a deeper resonance than any other.
At the news conference following the race, Kerley gives Lyles encouragement, and he feels empowered by his gold medal. He now demands that Adidas, which has sponsored him since the spring and signed him to the highest-paying track athlete contract since Bolt, design his own line of footwear.
Lyles also guaranteed that he would win the 200 meters. “I hope you guys like Noah because I got a lot more coming. I’m pretty confident. I’ll be winning. When I come off the turn, they will be depressed,” he said confidently.
In the men’s 100-meter Olympic final, Lyles had the slowest start but proved to be the winner when it mattered, taking home the gold medal. He now thinks even bigger successes are on the horizon.
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