'You are stuck with me for four years' - Noah Lyles hits back at Kishane Thompson & Fred Kerley after clinching Olympic 100m title

'You are stuck with me for four years' - Noah Lyles hits back at Kishane Thompson & Fred Kerley after clinching Olympic 100m title

Mark Kinyanjui 14:45 - 27.11.2024

Weeks after both Fred Kerley and Kishane Thompson revealed what cost then gold at the Olympic 100 meter final, Noah Lyles has now bragged over his narrowly-won title, aiming a jibe back at the duo.

Noah Lyles the newly crowned Olympic 100m champion, has unapologetically asserted his dominance in the sprinting world, sending a bold message to rivals Kishane Thompson and Fred Kerley. 

Lyles, who stormed to victory in a tightly contested final at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a time of 9.79 seconds, has made it clear he’s here to stay as the world’s fastest man.

Lyles’ gold-medal-winning performance narrowly edged out Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson, who clocked the same time but was relegated to silver in a photo finish

. Fred Kerley, the 2022 world champion, secured bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds after a misstep in his transition phase derailed his chances of clinching the top spot.

Kerley later reflected on his performance during the Ready Set Go podcast, admitting his mistake.

"I gave that race up," Kerley confessed. "When I got up, I was killing them, but when I got to my transition, I took a step backward… I lost that race." He added that he struggled to clearly gauge his competitors' positions, which compounded his error.

Thompson, who had entered the Olympics as a favorite following a scintillating 9.77-second run at the Jamaican trials, offered a different perspective. Rather than focus on external factors, he turned the spotlight inward, expressing dissatisfaction with his own performance.

"In terms of performance, I am not being hyper or anything. I know what I am capable of, but I am not really satisfied with it," Thompson stated to Television Jamaica.

He emphasized his self-driven approach, saying, "No disrespect to anyone, but I am myself. Other persons are themselves. I cannot really look at a person and say, ‘Hey, they did that.’ I just compare myself with myself… I defeated myself; for example, I didn’t even PB."

While his rivals analyzed their shortcomings, Lyles relished his golden moment. Speaking on Netflix’s Sprint series, he celebrated not only his victory but also the historic significance of his achievement for American sprinting.

“It has been 20 years since the 100-meter champion has come from the U.S.,” Lyles said, referencing Justin Gatlin’s 2004 Olympic triumph. “It has been Jamaica constantly, but I brought it back to the U.S.”

Unfazed by any criticism or rival claims, Lyles added with swagger, “You can say whatever you want about the world champion, Olympic champion. You are stuck with me for four years, baby.”

With his Olympic gold medal, Lyles has firmly established himself as the man to beat in the sprinting world. However, his rivals, particularly Thompson and Kerley, are likely to use this loss as motivation to challenge his reign in the coming years.

For now, Lyles basks in his hard-earned victory, unapologetically wearing the crown of the fastest man alive.

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