American Noah Lyles wins Olympic 100 metre gold in closest final in living memory

4 August 2024, 20:57 | Updated: 4 August 2024, 21:33

Noah Lyles has won the men's 100 metre final at the Paris Olympics.

World champion Lyles, 27, pipped Jamaican Kishane Thompson after a barnstorming final 20 metres.

Both Thompson and Lyles finished with a time of 9.79 seconds - but Lyles won the race by just five thousandths of a second.

The stunning finish was the closest Olympic 100-metre final in living memory.

Noah Lyles was heavily fancied before the Games began - but a lacklustre qualifying campaign led to doubts being expressed about his performance.

Silver medallist Kishane Thompson went into the race as the bookies' favourite but could not convert the expectations into Olympic glory.

American Fred Kerley took home the bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds in the tight field.

Regning Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs from Italy finished fifth.

Team GB's Louie Hinchcliffe and Zharnell Hughes failed to qualify for the final after disappointing semi-final performances.

Sheffield's Hinchliffe, who handed Lyles a wake-up call when he pipped his US challenger to the finish during Saturday's heats, was unable to fend off the Floridian a second time, finishing third in 9.97 and faced a wait to see if he was best of the rest.

Hinchliffe said: "It was a good experience, not the result that I wanted. Definitely a lot to learn. I haven't seen the race back.

"Maybe I should have been more relaxed, I was a bit tense at the end. A lot of mistakes. I should have been more relaxed going into it. I will do something different next time.

"I am disappointed. The time is okay but it's where I finished in the race. I will come back stronger next year. I will not regress. It's my first year on the scene. There is a lot more to come.

"Definitely, definitely LA, I will be there (in the final). Next year as well. There are a lot of world championships between then and now. There is a lot of time.

"I haven't spoken with Carl (Lewis) yet. He won't be too sad with that. It's a sub-10 run. I didn't completely fold."

Hinchliffe, whose personal best remains 9.95 seconds from his NCAA title-winning turn in June, was one of just three men who ran sub 10 in the heats, but on Sunday even Lyles' compatriot Kenny Bednarek, who nabbed the last berth in the final, required 9.93 seconds to make it through.

Men's 100 metre final result

Gold: Noah Lyles (USA) - 9.79s

Silver: Kishane Thompson (Jamaica) - 9.79s

Bronze: Fred Kerley (USA) - 9.81s

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4th: A. Simbine (South Africa) - 9.82s

5th: Lamont Marcell Jacobs (Italy) - 9.85s

6th: Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) - 9.86s

7th: K. Bednarek (USA) - 9.88s

8th: Oblique Seville (Jamiaca) - 9.91