The men’s 100 meter dash at the 2024 Paris Olympics promised to be one of the most compelling sprints ever with legit star-power and a wide open field. The race didn’t just live up to expectations, it blew them out of the water with maybe the closest finish you will ever see.
Noah Lyles wins Olympics gold in 100M by a margin so slim the announcers got it wrong
Watch American Noah Lyles win by five THOUSANDTHS of a second in a wild photo finish at Olympics’ men’s 100-meter dash.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
American Noah Lyles took home gold by five thousands of a second over silver medalist Kishane Thompson of Jamaica. Fred Kerley of the United States came in bronze. Lyles and Thompson each posted an official time of 9.79 seconds. The difference was too minuscule to even notice in real time.
The announcer immediately declared Thompson the winner, but got it wrong. This is one of the most thrilling races you will ever see. Watch the full men’s 100-meter sprint at the 2024 Paris Olympics here:
The announcers explained that the race is determined by whose torso/clavicle crosses the line first. Here’s a look at the finish line.
It really was that close.
Here are the official times. Lyles won by 0.005. Lyles had previously taken home bronze in the 200-meter dash at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
The difference between Olympic gold and finishing outside of the podium was 0.03 seconds. It was only .12 seconds first and last. What a race.
Is this the closest race in Olympics history? It might be. Back in 1932, American Eddie Tolan beat teammate Ralph Metcalfe in a photo finish when both runners had times of 10.38.
Lyles and Thompson now go down in history with their own photo finish. The 2024 Paris Olympics have another iconic moment.
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