Noah Lyles Wins Olympic 100-Meter In Photo Finish

Noah Lyles ’ speed matched his swagger in the Paris Olympics’ 100-meter dash on Sunday.

The American sprint star jumped up and down and egged on the crowd before the race, then sped by the field to win the gold medal — just barely.

“America, I told you!” he screamed into the camera.

It took a photo finish to decide the win.

Despite a mediocre start, Lyles used his raw speed to clock a personal-best 9.79 seconds, just ahead of Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who had the same time to the hundredth of a second. But Lyles actually won by five-thousandths of a second. Fred Kerley of the U.S. finished third in 9.81 seconds.

Lyles got off to a poor start in the semifinal on Sunday but ran with conviction. He finished second in 9.83 seconds ― just two-hundredths off his season best.

There were signs of trouble before that.

Lyles appeared flat in his 100-meter first-round heat and had to exert himself at the end to ensure he would qualify for the semifinal. He said later that he underestimated his competition .

He arrived in Paris as the 100- and 200-meter world champion who wants to be the face of the sport.

But Lyles’ “blatantly choreographed” effort to attain celebrity is rubbing some people the wrong way, The Athletic reported .

And that includes a teammate.

About a week earlier, he angered U.S. sprinter Quincy Hall, who won the U.S. trials 400, by suggesting he should take Hall’s spot on the 4x400 relay.

But against a loaded field in the final, Lyles backed up his bluster with incredible acceleration, becoming the first American to win the 100 in 20 years.