Paris Olympics 2024 100m finals Analysis: Exploring the position of Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson after every 10m as American takes gold

Reigning 100m world champion Noah Lyles conquered his rivals at the Stade de France, capturing his first Olympic gold. He edged out the competition in a thrilling photo finish for his heat, showcasing remarkable determination by storming from last place in the opening quarter to clinch victory.

Lyles was lined up against a star-studded list of runners, and as the gun was fired, Thompson appeared to have the early advantage while Lyles trailed the pack. However, the latter surged ahead with explosive speed and took home the gold with a new personal best of 9.79 seconds. Thompson, 21, who was competing in his maiden Olympic event, nabbed silver after crossing the finish line in 9.79 seconds, the same time as Lyles.

However, an agonizingly narrow margin of five-thousandths of a second separated him from gold. Fred Kerley took bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds, earning his second consecutive Olympic 100m podium finish.

The race was so intensely competitive that for the 50 meters, Noah Lyles was in seventh place, seemingly out of contention as Thompson led the field. However, Lyles ignited his speed at the 60-meter mark, rapidly closing the gap to move into third place.

By the 90 meter mark, Lyles was still in second place, but a brilliant push in the last ten meters ensured that the gold medal was his. In contrast, Kishane Thompson exploded out of the blocks, leading for the first 90 meters before narrowly losing the top spot in a heart-stopping finish.

Jonathan Gault, a staff writer for LetsRun.com, provided a breakdown of Noah Lyles' victory on his X handle (formerly Twitter) and wrote:

"Olympic 100m race analysis. Noah Lyles was last at 30 meters and did not lead at any point until the final steps. But he was leading when it counted."

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When is Noah Lyles competing next at the Paris Olympics 2024?

Atlethics - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 9 - Source: Getty

Before landing in Paris, Noah Lyles revealed that he was going to aim for four Olympic golds at the quadrennial event, targeting the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay events. Having already secured the 100m title, he's set to compete in the first round of the 200m, heat 6, on Monday, August 5th.

Here is the full schedule for Noah Lyles' 200m event at Paris Olympics.

Tuesday, 6 August

12:30: Men's 200m repechage round

Wednesday, 7 August

20:02 – Men's 200m semi-final

Thursday, 8 August

20:30 – Men's 200m Final

All times are in Paris local time.