--- title: Photo Finish of Noah Lyles Winning the 100 M description: The 100-m final came down to a remarkable photo finish, with Lyles' torso crossing the finish line first—which determines the winner. canonical: https://time.com/7007698/noah-lyles-photo-finish-paris-olympics/ author: Solcyré Burga article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-08-05T00:54:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:52:07.363Z article:section: Sports og:title: This Image of Noah Lyles Winning the 100 M Is the Definition of a Photo Finish og:description: In track and field, the end of an athlete’s lap is determined by the moment their torso crosses the finish line. og:url: https://time.com/7007698/noah-lyles-photo-finish-paris-olympics/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfc9806546b71c522/698a599a011682ab9b986191/noah-lyles-100-m-olympics-02.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Olympics: Athletics-Evening Session og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Image of Noah Lyles Winning the 100 M Is the Definition of a Photo Finish twitter:description: In track and field, the end of an athlete’s lap is determined by the moment their torso crosses the finish line. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfc9806546b71c522/698a599a011682ab9b986191/noah-lyles-100-m-olympics-02.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Image of Noah Lyles Winning the 100 M Is the Definition of a Photo Finish ## Video: Team USA’s Noah Lyles, the World’s Fastest Man, Wins 100-M Olympic Gold [Watch (HLS stream): Team USA’s Noah Lyles, the World’s Fastest Man, Wins 100-M Olympic Gold](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/f6eAbC9z.m3u8) (1:49)  _Published 2024-08-05. Team USA's Noah Lyles, the defending world champion in the 100 m, won the Olympic gold medal in that race on Sunday night at Stade de France, becoming the first male sprinter from the United States to earn a 100-m Olympic title in two decades._  by [Solcyré Burga](https://time.com/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Reporter Aug 5, 2024 12:54 AM UTC  Aug 4, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; Noah Lyles (USA) defeats Kishane Thompson (JAM) and Fred Kerley (USA) to win the men's 100m final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports Aug 4, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; Noah Lyles (USA) defeats Kishane Thompson (JAM) and Fred Kerley (USA) to win the men's 100m final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY SportsJames Lang—USA TODAY Sports/Reuters  by [Solcyré Burga](https://time.com/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Reporter Aug 5, 2024 12:54 AM UTC Noah Lyles, the world’s fastest man, [won a gold medal in the 100-m final](https://time.com/7007483/team-usa-noah-lyles-wins-100-m-olympic-gold/) on Sunday in a race that came down to a remarkable photo finish. The meet was decided by just .005 seconds, as NBC commentators originally declared Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson as the winner. “I went up to him afterward, while we were waiting. I even said, ‘Bro I think you got that one, big dog,” [NBC reports that](https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/olympics/live-blog/olympic-games-2024-live-updates-rcna162869) Lyles told Thompson before the scoreboard revealed that the Florida native crossed the finish line with a time of 9.784 seconds. Thompson, the silver medalist, did so in 9.789\. Team USA’s Fred Kerley followed closely at 9.81 seconds, securing the bronze. **Read More:** [_The Inside Story of How Noah Lyles Pulled Off That Incredible 100-M Win_](https://time.com/7007700/noah-lyles-paris-olympics-100-m-win/) In track and field, the end of an athlete’s lap is determined by the moment their torso crosses the finish line. While it may appear that other competitors’ feet reached the finish line first, the photo displays Lyles, in lane seven, with his chest meeting the mark.  Paris 2024 Olympics - Athletics - Men's 100m Final - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - August 04, 2024\. Noah Lyles of United States crosses the line to win gold. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Agustin Marcarian—Reuters This victory was undoubtedly fueled by Lyles’ finish in 2021, when the 27-year-old was unsatisfied after he took home bronze in Tokyo. After that point, the track-and-field star became even more determined. “I’m here to race anybody who wants it,” [Lyles told TIME in an interviewer earlier this year](https://time.com/6991825/noah-lyles-olympics-2024-interview/). “The deeper the field, the better I run. I know I’m going to win. Because I’m never going to break nerve.” This marks the first U.S. gold in this event since 2004\. Lyles is also hoping to medal in the 200m race, for which he is the favorite. 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