Noah Lyles finally has his Olympic gold medal.
After talking the talk for quite some time and dominating the world championships last year, the Gainesville, Florida, native is now walking the walk, as he won the men’s 100-meter final on Sunday in Paris.
Lyles crossed the finish line in 9.79784 seconds, a personal best, and winning by five-thousandths of a second (it will officially go in the books as a 9.80).
Noah Lyles’ Journey to Olympic Gold
A long photo finish review was necessary to officially crown Lyles champion, as he looked on intently alongside Jamaican Kishane Thompson, whom the broadcast thought won with the naked eye.
When the result was official, he had seven words:
“America, I told you, I got next!”
Lyles then draped an American flag around his shoulders to take a well-deserved, very long victory lap – American Fred Kerley got the bronze with 9.81.
Lyles’ Impact on American Track and Field
Lyles is the first American to win the event at the Olympics since Justin Gatlin did so in 2004. It’s the fifth gold medal won by Americans on Sunday (golfer Scottie Scheffler, cyclist Kristen Faulkner, swimmer Bobby Finke, and the women’s 4×100 medley relay team).
The 27-year-old ran a 9.83 in the semifinal, automatically qualifying by finishing second in that race.
Of course, some will argue he brought the hate upon himself when he quipped that NBA champions do not have the right to call themselves world champions. That comment alone has caused him to be hated by American sports fans just as much, maybe more, than he is loved by them. But, perhaps this victory can change the tide.
Lyles’ Future and Goals
Lyles will now turn his focus on the 200m (he’s said his “dream goal” is to break Usain Bolt’s world record of 19.19) and the 4x100m relay. It remains up in the air about whether he will be part of the 4x400m relay, but he was a part of the silver-medal winning team at this year’s world indoor championships.
In an interview with Fox News Digital in March, Lyles said a friend told him, “‘Forget three, you need to go after four. Do something no one’s ever done.'”
Insight: Lyles’ determination to surpass traditional achievements and set new records illustrates his ambition and drive to leave a lasting legacy in the sport.
Impact of Lyles on Track and Field
Track legend Carl Lewis recently told Fox News Digital that the sport “needs” Lyles to dominate these games.
“I think track does better when we do have a superstar. That’s why I think if Noah were to win, he would elevate the sport as well. As opposed to saying ‘I wonder who’s going to win,’ people want to say ‘I want him’ or ‘I don’t want him.’ They want to root for someone, or root against someone. I think it creates more intensity when you have someone that dominates, and that’s been throughout history…. People have really gravitated to the sport when people really dominated more.”
One down – at least two to go.
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