Noah Lyles won the Olympic 100 meters by .005 seconds Sunday, waiting some 30 seconds after the finish of an excruciatingly close sprint to find out he’d beaten Kishane Thompson of Jamaica.
The word “Photo” popped up on the scoreboard after Lyles and Thompson dashed to the line. Lyles paced the track with his hands draped over his head. Finally, the numbers came up. Lyles won in 9.784 seconds to edge out the Jamaican by five-thousandths of a tick of the clock.
America’s Fred Kerley came in third at 9.81 and defending champion Marcell Jacobs finished fifth.
This was the closest 100-meter since at least Moscow in 1980 — or maybe even ever. Back then, Britain’s Allan Wells narrowly beat Silvio Leonard in an era when timing didn’t go down into the thousandths of a second.
And 9.784 also marks a personal best for Lyles, who has been promising to add his own brand of excitement to track and certainly delivered this time.
He will be a favourite later this week in the 200 meters — his better race — and will try to join Usain Bolt as the latest runner to win both Olympic sprints.
De Grasse out in semifinal
Andre De Grasse will not be coming away with a medal in the men’s 100-metres.
The 29-year-old sprinter from Markham, Ont., ran a season-best time of 9.98 seconds to finish fifth in the third semifinal heat and 12th overall on Sunday at Stade de France.
“It was a tough run. I definitely felt like I had a lot left in the tank, but I wasn’t able to show it today. It’s part of the game,” De Grasse said after the race.
“I’m grateful to be here [at my] third Olympic Games. It’s a dream come true for me, to be honest. I never thought I’d be here. Just excited to be here. [I] got to keep my head up and get ready for the 200m.”
Canada’s Andre De Grasse finishes fifth in his men’s 100-metre semifinal race with a time of 9.98 and doesn’t qualify for the final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
De Grasse failed to qualify for the 100m final for the first time in his Olympic career. The six-time Olympic medallist earned bronze in the event at the previous two Games.
De Grasse now looks ahead to the opening round of the 200m on Monday and the 4x100m relay heats on Thursday. He is the defending Olympic 200 champion.
“I always like to come to the Olympic Games and double,” De Grasse said. “In between, like a world championship, I’ll probably choose one event. But at the Olympic Games, I like to double.
“It was a tough run. I’m a little disappointed, but I’ll just keep my head up and look [forward] to the next run.”