Noah Lyles jumped up and down like crazy, he roared out his joy and relief – then he ripped his race number with his name on it from his chest and held it up to all the cameras. “Look, I showed everyone,” that was probably supposed to mean. And indeed: Lyles put on a spectacular sprint show in the Stade de France, grabbing the coveted gold thanks to a strong final sprint in a historic decision made by a thousandth of a second.
“That’s exactly what I wanted, this tough, tough fight against incredibly strong opponents,” said Lyles. “I’m the wolf among wolves.” After crossing the finish line, Lyles wasn’t sure he had won. “I went to Kishane and said, ‘I’ll be honest, brother, I think you won.’ I was prepared for his name to come up, and then when I saw my name, I thought, ‘My goodness, that’s incredible. I’m incredible.'”
Mission accomplished: With his dream run, Lyles has kept his promise and brought Olympic gold in the 100 m back to the USA after 20 years. The world champion ran a personal best of 9.79 seconds in the spectacular final in Paris and was unstoppable. Behind Lyles, Kishane Thompson (9.79/Jamaica) secured silver, the closest decision in Olympic history. Lyles won the photo finish thriller by just five thousandths of a second. Bronze went to Fred Kerley (9.81/USA) in the Stade de France.
A DJ had warmed up the fans before the race, and a light show had increased the tension even more – and Lyles just enjoyed it. The weak start didn’t throw him off track, it actually spurred him on. When it was done, he threw his arms around his mother in the stands.
Lyles had put himself under maximum pressure beforehand, believing that only he, the three-time world champion from Budapest, could take home gold on the most prestigious of all courses. “The more eyes are on me, the better I am,” said the 27-year-old – and then he actually kept his word.
Finally the breakthrough at the Olympics
With his irresistible gold run and fingernails painted in the US colors, Lyles also reconciled his homeland, after all the USA had to wait since 2004 for an Olympic champion in the 100 m. At that time in Athens, Justin Gatlin triumphed, then the era of the Jamaican Usain Bolt began, in Tokyo surprise winner Marcell Jacobs (Italy) duped the US boys.
Now Lyles delivered what the fans wanted to see – and celebrated his first gold medal at the Olympic Games.
This meant that Lyles also made his personal peace with the Olympics. At the pandemic games in Tokyo, he suffered from the sterile atmosphere, he missed the fans, and his depression, which had plagued him since his youth, broke out again. In the 200 m, he only managed to win bronze. “That’s not enough,” Lyles swore to himself afterwards. Now, the impressive redemption.
A gold medal is not enough for Lyles
In Paris, Lyles is aiming for three more gold medals, in the 200 m and in the 4×100 and 4×400 m relays. His goal? To become a legend, to close the gap left by Usain Bolt. And Lyles could actually do it, the man from Florida has everything: charisma, charm, a desire to put on a show, snappy sayings – and a moving story.
In high school, Lyles was often teased; he had a learning disability; his parents divorced early; his mother Keisha raised him and his brother, who was also a sprinter, alone; there was not always enough food or money. “One time, our electricity was cut off,” said Lyles. Added to this was his depression.
But Lyles persevered, and World Federation President Sebastian Coe calls him an “absolute rock star.” And now Lyles is finally an Olympic champion.
Source: www.sport.de
