Lyles crossed the finish line with a time of 9.79, a new personal best for the 27-year-old. That was just five-thousandths of a second faster than the silver medal winner, Jamaica's Kishane Thompson. American Fred Kerley finished third, with a time of 9.82, also a personal best.
Watching the race in real time, it was nearly impossible to tell for certain who the winner was immediately after. It actually appeared that Thompson may have just eked out a victory, but after a photo review, it was determined that Lyles did indeed cross first.
Take a look at the pictures to see just how close the race was, almost giving a new definition to the term "photo finish."
OMEGA
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: Noah Lyles of Team United States crosses the finish line to win gold during the Men's 100m Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Noah Lyles of Team United States crosses the finish line to win the Men's 100m Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France.
Noah Lyles, of the United States, in lane seven, wins the men's 100-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images
First-placed US' Noah Lyles (7), second-placed Jamaica's Kishane Thompson (4) and third-placed US' Fred Kerley (3) cross the finish line at the end of the men's 100m final.
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: (EDITORS NOTE: Image is a digital composite.) General view as Noah Lyles of Team United States competes the Men's 100m Final on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. Layers of the Games shows in one image the multiple moments that happen during a game or a day of competition during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games from a fixed camera. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
