American sprinter Noah Lyles provided one of the most electrifying moments of the Olympic track and field competition by winning the gold medal in the 100-meter dash on Sunday in Paris, France.
In one of the most dramatic races in the history of the event, Lyles edged out Kishane Thompson of Jamaica in a photo finish. Fellow American Fred Curley won the bronze medal. Lyles is the first American to win a gold medal in the 100 since Justin Gatlin won gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.
Lyles finished second in his first round and semifinals races, but he came up with the biggest performance of his career in the finals as he turned in a personal best time of 9.79 seconds. Lyles nudged out Thompson by five-thousandths of a second. Curley ran a personal best of 9.81 to win the bronze medal. He won the silver medal in the 100 at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Lyles is looking to achieve the sprint double as he goes for gold in the 200-meter dash, which is his favorite event. He won the 200 at the USA Olympic Trials and he leads an impressive group of American athletes in the event. The finals of the 200-meter dash will be run on Thursday.