American sprinter Noah Lyles' quest to earn Olympic gold in the 100 meters suffered a blow as he had to settle for second place in the heats - an alarming warning to the gold medal favorite.
In a dress rehearsal of sorts ahead of the all-important final on August 4, the Team USA household name recorded a time of 10.04 seconds to earn himself a semi-final place. However, he finished in second place, with Great Britain's Louie Hinchliffe instead the pacesetter as he crossed the line with a time of 9.98s at Stade de France.
Lyles has been backed to earn gold this summer in Paris, especially after his heroics at the World Championships in 2023 - where he won the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay events. The American's quest for glory also sees him come up against the challenge posed by Jamaica's Kishane Thompson, who set a world-leading time of 9.77 seconds at the Olympic trials in Kingston.
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Lyles also comes into proceedings in the French capital with some scores to settle after he had to settle for bronze three years ago at the Games . He has since opened up on his mental health struggles at the time, as he acknowledged that he was not at his best in Japan.
His redemption arc in the interim period since then has been remarkable, with Lyles rallying to become world champion in the 200 m in 2022, before following this up with golds in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m at the Worlds in 2023.
Speaking to the Daily Mail about his recovery, he said: "I was depressed. I was coming off my antidepressant medication at the time because I was gaining weight in an unnatural way. There was a lot going on. It was a real fake-it-to-make-it year for me.
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"I watched back my race in Tokyo and I was like, 'I really don't know that guy. I don't know who that is but it's not Noah'. It is kind of scary at times. Just even seeing my mannerisms. I am like, 'Why did I do that? What was I thinking at that time?'. Every day I wake up now and thank God that I am not in that scenario."
Setting his sights on glory in Paris this summer, the resurgent ace talked up his own attributes as he vies to make history. He said: "I am in the best shape of my life. I am seeing times in training I don't usually see. In the 100m, the American record is constantly on my mind. In the 200m, 19.10 is definitely the goal.
"In the indoor season, I improved my 60m time by 1.02 per cent. If I add that on to the 100m, I should break the record. And if I add that to the 200m, I should run 19.10."
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