American runner Noah Lyles won the gold medal in the 100 meter sprint Sunday—with a time of 9.784 seconds—beating Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by just five thousandths of a second and becoming the first American in 20 years to win gold in the event.
Noah Lyles, of the United States, celebrates after winning the men's 100-meters final at the 2024 ... [+]
Lyles won his first ever Olympic gold medal in a photo finish, with the runners having to wait for a photo review to know who won the race.
After the photo review confirmed he won the gold, Lyles celebrated and looked into a camera to say, “America, I told you,” NBC News reported.
Team USA’s Fred Kerley took bronze in the event with a time of 9.81 seconds.
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Whether he wins another gold. Lyles is pursuing the Olympic double—winning the 100 meter sprint and the 200 meter sprint, which is run on Thursday—at the Paris Olympics. He won both races at the Olympic trials in June.
The last American man to win the 100 meter sprint at the Olympics was Justin Gatlin in 2004. Gatlin won it with a speed of 9.85 seconds.