Noah Lyles ended a 20-year U.S. drought in the men’s 100m final on Sunday, winning gold with a personal-best 9.784-second time.
Lyles grabbed first place ahead of Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by .005 seconds, marking the closest men’s 100m race at the Olympics since 1980, according to ESPN Stats & Information. It was also the second time in the past 60 years that the top two finishers ran the same time measuring into the hundredths.
The 27-year-old American’s torso crossed the finish line first, leading to his victory.
“We were waiting for the names to pop up, and I’m going to be honest, I came over [to Thompson] and I was like, ‘I think you got that one, big dawg!'” Lyles said in a postrace news conference. “Something said I need to lean, and I was like, ‘I’m going to lean,’ because it’s that type of race.”
Here is a photo breakdown of Lyles’ historic win:
Out of the starting blocks
The strong field in the final included three Americans — Lyles, Fred Kerley (who earned a bronze) and Kenneth Bednarek — plus two Jamaicans — Thompson and Oblique Seville. Lyles didn’t have the best of starts off the blocks, but made up for it once the race commenced.
Gaining steam
Lyles quickly made up ground as the race went on. He inched closer and closer to the finish line, putting him in prime position for a medal.
Photo finish
Lyles didn’t lead the race until the final and most important moment. At first glance, it looked like Jamaica’s Thompson won the gold. But, with the distance closing, Lyles pushed his torso past Thompson at the last second.
Celebrations after a wait
It took almost half a minute for the official winner of the race to be announced. Lyles and Thompson stood near each other while looking at the video board, awaiting the result.
Once it was confirmed Lyles won the gold, he lifted his bib to the sky, yelled “America. I told you, I got this” and ran off to celebrate with his family.
