Noah Lyles credits unique approach for edge over Kishane Thompson in Paris

Noah Lyles credits unique approach for edge over Kishane Thompson in Paris

Festus Chuma 15:00 - 21.08.2024

American sprinter Noah Lyles has revealed his psychological approach and race tactics that secured his narrow victory in the 100m at the Paris Olympics.

US sprint star Noah Lyles has attributed his nail-biting victory over Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in the Paris Olympics 100m final to a boost in confidence and a strategic approach to the race.

The race ended with Lyles clinching the gold medal by a mere five-thousandths of a second in a dramatic photo finish.

In a revealing conversation with former NFL stars Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, Lyles disclosed the crucial advice he received from one of his therapists that fundamentally altered his approach: to run with less aggression and more freedom.

"If you control the crowd, you control the race," he was told, a tactic that Lyles took to heart.

"It’s not about running fast times, it's about running to win… The time will come," Lyles shared.

The race was intense from the start, with a dramatic buildup at Stade de France, complete with suspenseful music and a highly charged atmosphere.

All eight finalists, including notable names like Fred Kerley from the USA and Akani Simbine from South Africa, finished within 0.12 seconds of each other, marking one of the tightest races in Olympic history.

Despite not leading for the first 80 meters, Lyles's change in tactic to engage and energize the crowd paid dividends.

His ability to maintain composure and conserve energy, while his competitors exhausted theirs early on, allowed him to surge ahead in the crucial final moments of the race.

This strategic reserve of energy proved pivotal as he passed Thompson, who has a tendency to slow down towards the end of his races.

"It’s a confidence thing," Lyles stated, acknowledging his psychological edge over his competitors.

The advice to focus less on aggression and more on freedom helped Lyles not only to manage his energy better but also to enhance his crowd interaction, making the race not just a competition but a performance.

Fred Kerley, another American sprinter and former world champion, took the bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds, narrowly edging out Simbine.

Meanwhile, Italy’s reigning champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs was notably run out of the medals, and another Jamaican hopeful, Oblique Seville, finished last, though still clocking an impressive 9.91 seconds.