Jamaica’s Thompson has bittersweet Olympics after Lyles wins 100-meter dash gold

Jamaican Kishane Thompson was beaten out for gold by the slimmest of margins on a perfectly timed lean from American Noah Lyles on August 4, for the 100-meter race at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Their times of 9.79 seconds needed to be calculated farther out to determine the winner with Lyles winning 9.784 to 9.789. Thompson was five-thousandths of a second away from joining the company of fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt as an Olympic champion.

“I’m a bit disappointed,” Thompson said. “But I am happy at the same time. I am going to take it as what it is and move forward from here.”

Asked if he thought the gold medal could be shared, since it was that close of race, Thompson said he didn’t think Lyles would go for the idea, “I think the sport is too competitive, no offense to any other sport. It’s too competitive for us to share a gold medal.”

“I know that Jamaica would have wanted me to get the gold,” he said. “Everybody loves winners.”

Gold medallist Noah Lyles of United States celebrates on the podium with silver medallist Kishane Thompson of Jamaica and bronze medallist Fred Kerley of United States. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

Thompson was in lane four in the final and Lyles in lane seven. Thompson knew it was close and immediately glanced at the scoreboard for an answer.

“I did think Thompson had it at the end,” Lyles said. “I even said, ‘Bro, I think you got that one big dog. And then my name popped up, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m amazing.”

Thompson became the first Jamaican to be on the podium in the men’s Olympic 100m since Bolt’s run of three straight titles in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

“My body language will not show it because I am not an expressive guy, but I am glad, Thompson said. “I’m super grateful.”

Thompson entered the race with the fastest time of the season. All eight sprinters were separated by a margin of 0.12 seconds and even closer for gold and silver.

“That close,” Thompson said. “It was that close.”