SAINT-DENIS, France — His braggadocio might rub some the wrong way. His calculated theatricality and hunger for attention might make him seem less respectful. His arrogance might even rub some the wrong way.
But what always takes precedence in the realm of jokes is supporting them. Hubris is easier to swallow when it is justified.
Noah Lyles’ mouth wrote the check. His feet simply cashed it.
In a most epic finale, certainly one of the deepest in Olympic history, Lyles won in a photo finish. By five thousand seconds. The most exciting race since Athens 2004.
Lyles said the moment was made for him. This was a monster moment. Lots of drama in Paris. Jamaicans Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville looked daunting in the semis, Seville beat Lyles in the semis. But that brought out the best in Noah.
His time of 9.784 seconds in the men’s 100-meter dash was his personal best and gave the United States its first gold in 20 years. He is the third American to do so this millennium, after Justin Gatlin and Maurice Green. Now he is aiming for Carl Lewis.
Thompson took silver with a 9.789. American Fred Kerley took bronze with a 9.81.
Phase 1 of Lyles’ grand plan to win Olympic gold in the 100 and 200 is complete. The hardest part of this vaunted double is done. With the 100 in the bag, he now moves on to the 200 meters on Monday. Lewis was the last American to win gold in those two events in 1984. The last sprint double came from Michael Johnson in 1996, when he won the 200 and 400 in Atlanta.
(Photo: Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)
The 200 is his main event. He is the best in the world and has been the whole Olympic cycle. The best chance to shut him up was the 100 and the world couldn’t do it, which is pretty incredible given the context.
His hiccup in the first heat of the 100 meters on Saturday — when he finished second to Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe, raising doubts about his readiness for the huge stage — turned out to be just that. A hiccup. Lyles said he wouldn’t underestimate the field again. He put his best foot forward and, just like at the 2023 world championships, as seen in the Netflix documentary “Sprint,” no one could outpace him.
That’s the overlooked part of all this: what Noah has done to become a world-class sprinter is a testament to his immense talent. He moved to another discipline, one that had its own great talents, and decided to take them on.
Lyles finished seventh in the 100-meter final at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials but failed to qualify for the Tokyo Games in that event. Seventh. He and coach Lance Brauman went to work and turned him into an elite short-distance sprinter.
Three years later, he’s the undisputed fastest man alive. He talked about wanting to do it. He predicted he would do it. Then he did it. The kid from DC did a Marlo and took over new territory.
Regardless of your preference for an athlete’s personality, such eliteness must be recognized. After all his talk, he is now the king of the most glorious athletic event. Perhaps you should brace yourself for an even louder Lyles.
Required reading
(Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
