U.S. Sprinter Noah Lyles Loses Race After Taunting Opponent At Finish Line

Team USA sprinter Noah Lyles is off to the men's 100m final in the 2024 Paris Olympics after a second-place finish in the semifinal on Sunday afternoon. Lyles, whose final time was 9.83 seconds, was beaten out by Jamaica sprinter Oblique Seville by only 0.02 seconds.

But it was the interaction between the two athletes that caught fans' attention.

Despite finishing second, when both sprinters ran across the finish line neck-and-neck, Lyles is seen staring down Seville for a few seconds.

Lyles may have thought he surpassed Seville at the end, which led to the taunt, but the final results indicate he did not. Lyles and Seville will have another shot at each other during the final.

In a previous race in June, there was a similar situation involving Lyles and Seville. In that instance, the Jamaican runner initiated a stare-down towards Lyles at the end of the race. Lyles sought to retaliate in the race on Sunday, but he did so in a losing fashion.

This year marks Lyles' second Olympic appearance. His sole medal win came in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics 200m race, where he won Silver. Lyles' (27) highest world ranking was first place for the 100m and 200m races.

Seville (23) is also competing in his second Olympic games. During the 2020 Olympics, he reached the 100m semifinal but failed to move on after that. In the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Seville finished with a bronze medal in the 4x100m relay.

Update: Lyles went on to win his first Olympic gold medal in the 100m final.

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