Olympic fans have been left baffled by Noah Lyles‘s dramatic victory in the 100 metres final after the American sprinter beat Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by the narrowest of margins.
The 27-year-old won the flagship athletics event in Paris tonight by just five thousandths of a second in what was one of the tightest 100m showdowns of all time, with the eight runner separated by just 0.12 seconds.
Lyles, who had to settle for second place in the semi-final race earlier on Sunday, swept up his first Olympic gold in 9.79 secs as he edged out Thompson.
It marks the greatest moment of the 27-year-old’s career, following on from a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
But viewers have taken to social media to express their confusion with how the winner was decided after the final went to a photo finish, leaving the sprinters with an agonising wait to see who had won.
It marks the greatest moment of the 27-year-old’s career, following on from a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021
One X, formerly Twitter, user said: ‘Thompson was robbed. He beat Noah.’
Another posted: ‘It looked like Thompson won….?’
Meanwhile, a third bemused user added: ‘Don’t understand the rules but the Jamaican was there first.’
Another asked: ‘Is it head first to win? Thompsons foot clearly over.’
One frustrated user posted: ‘These rules be damned. Thompson won this one.’
In track races, the winner is the first person to get their chest across the finish line meaning that Thompson’s foot crossing the line first made no difference to the outcome.
Lyles’s compatriot Fred Kerley claimed the bronze medal in 9.81 secs.
The champion – the first American to have won gold in the event since Justin Gatlin in 2004 – raised his arms in triumph to wild cheers from the packed crowd after his epic finish at the Stade de France, as his name appeared at the top of the standings.
He made a slower start out of the blocks than his rivals but accelerated through the finish line, outpacing Thompson right at the death of the race.
‘It’s the one I wanted, it’s the hard battle, it’s the amazing opponents,’ Lyles said after his epic finish.
‘Everybody came prepared for the fight and I wanted to prove that I’m the man among all of them, I’m the wolf among wolves,’ he added.
Viewers have taken to social media to express their confusion with how the winner was decided
Akani Simbini of South Africa was fourth, making it a remarkable six fourth or fifth finishes in global championships, albeit with the consolation of a national record of 9.83 secs.
Defending champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy, heavily strapped, finished fifth in 9.85 secs. while eighth-placed Oblique Seville of Jamaica clocked 9.91 secs..
Sunday’s final was the first time eight men have broken 10 seconds in a wind-legal 100m race.
