Who won? I can’t tell. Could anyone tell me? The announcers are saying it’s the Jamaican, Kishane Thompson. Every American couldn’t tell because we had our eyes fixated on lane seven and Noah Lyles.
World Champions of What?
Lyles was crowned the 100m World Champion last summer. He made headlines for his comments criticizing the NBA for crowning the finals winner World Champions. “World Champions of what…the United States?” Lyles said after a long answer, that’s worth seeing in its entirety.
The NBA players decided not to respond and let their play on the court do the talking. Who am I kidding, of course, they responded.
Kevin Durant commented under a post on Instagram saying “Somebody help this brother.” Draymond Green said on social media “When being smart goes wrong”.
With this controversy, Lyles was slingshot into national prominence and the worst part about it was the lead was buried. Noah Lyles, an American, was the fastest man in the world. Not since Justin Gatlin in 2004 has an American won the 100m at the Olympics, and now a year out, Noah Lyles is the favorite.
In the year since Noah Lyles’s “World Champions,” remarks, he’s been flashing Yugioh cards before races and making confident retorts to rivals. He’s been the confident face of men’s track and field that it has missed since Usain Bolt retired.
Noah Lyles’ Confidence
Before the Olympic games, Noah Lyles promised he’d finish on top of the podium for the 100m and 200m. During the opening ceremony, he said he’d like to start his legacy off with a gold medal at these games and then maybe get a second, third, and fourth Olympic gold.
The confidence that Lyles yields doesn’t come with its critiques. Search Noah Lyles on Twitter before today and hate comments and people who want him to fail are everywhere. Many are Americans waiting for him to fail so that they can say his confidence got the best of him.
The hate-watching, by Americans in particular, seems wrong on so many levels. Sports are supposed to be fun, and athletes oftentimes aren’t. Many give boring pre-scripted answers to the media and we often feel like we truly never know them. Then when they disappoint us with some political stance or wrongful brand endorsement, we cry wolf.
Lyles is authentically himself. He’s extraverted, he wants to beat his competition, and believes he’s the best. In America, we’re constantly told to be ourselves and not try to be someone else. There is not another Noah Lyles. He’s not doing an impression of someone who’s a track star. Instead of the masses embracing Lyles as being the ultimate American showman, some have been patiently waiting for him to fail.
The Build-Up to The Final
For the 100 meters in the Olympics, there is a quarterfinal heat, a semifinal heat, and then final. It’s designed to get the slower of the fast men weeded out before the final. In the first quarterfinal heat, Lyles finished second but advanced automatically to the semifinal heats. He admitted he, “downplayed my competitors for sure,” but also reminded everyone, “I promise that will not happen again.”
Heading into Sunday the semifinals and finals took place an hour and a half apart from each other. Lyles advanced to the final finishing second in his heat and had an epic staredown of competitor Oblique Seville as he crossed the finish line.
As I waited, like Lyles, for the 100 meter final all I could wonder was “What if he doesn’t win.” I thought how much Twitter would flame him and how all those people who wanted him to fail would be right.
When Noah Lyles was announced for the final he sprinted out, jumped up and down the track, and hyped himself and the crowd up. If there are nerves, he’s not showing it, has he ever shown nerves?
The Race
As the gun went off and they started to sprint it’s clear others have gotten off quicker. But after watching and listening to commentators talk about Lyles for a combined three hours this Olympics I know one thing, Lyles style is finishing not starting.
As they hit the final 75 meters something happens. Lyles, who seemed at least a stride length behind starts to edge closer and closer, and in the final 1.78 seconds Lyles surges to meet everyone at the finish line.
The announcers proclaim the winner Kishane Thompson of Jamaica is the winner. But then why is he not celebrating, why is everyone looking up? Thompson yells’ “c’mon man!” toward the announcer or judges or refs, I don’t know, but they are all looking up at someone or something to give them the results of who won this race.
Noah Lyles walks over to Thompson and says something to him, maybe congratulating him, or saying he beat him, but Thompson doesn’t react. 25 seconds after the race has finished the main NBC announcer says they are working on the photo. Noah Lyles has his hands on his head, has he admitted defeat or is he just tired?
Then, you hear “Noah Lyles,” blare out from the stadium announcers, in an instant he puts his hands out wide like in the movie, “Gladiator,”. He takes his name tag off and shows it to the crowd.
Lyles stares into the camera and points at it to come forward and belts, “America! I told you! I got this!”
If you enjoyed “Noah Lyles Wins The Craziest Men’s 100m Final Ever,” please visit Belly Up Sports and follow me on Twitter/X @nikgable37
Featured Image: Getty Images/Patrick Smith
