Noah Lyles wows Paris Olympics with 100m win and dazzling painted nails

The world’s fastest man, Noah Lyles, took gold in the Paris Summer Games on Sunday night with a win in the men’s 100m event that was the closest finish ever recorded in the race in the modern Olympic era — and he did it in style.

The American sprinter, 27, won in 9.79 seconds, besting Jamaican Kishane Thompson by just one-5000th of a second in a breathtaking photo-finish.

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Another American, Fred Kerley, won the bronze.

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For a moment, fans and the first-time Olympian thought he’d been denied the win, as announcers called the race for the Jamaican Thompson. It came down to a literal photo finish with judges scrutinizing the race’s micro-second video footage.

“I did think he had it at the end,” Lyles said of Thompson after the race. “I went up to him while we were waiting, and said: ‘I think you’ve got that, good going,’ then my name popped up and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m amazing’,” the winner told the BBC.

Lyles ripped the name tag from his jersey and held it aloft to roars from the crowd at the Stade de France.

Also amazing: Lyles painted nails, which dazzled the crowd and viewers around the world with stars, lighting bolts and crosses in patriotic red, white and blue.

Posted one Lyles admirer: “So c*nty.”

The internet was aglow with praise for the young American and his looks.

“Noah Lyles is unapologetically himself, throwing every nerd reference he can into celebrations, painting his nails, rocking some nice jewelry and hair beads, while exuding confidence and backing it up big time,” one social media user gushed. “He’s everything I love about sport, y’all can’t change my mind.”

The Florida native has been styling his track and field appearances since the beginning of his career, surprising with those “c*nty” looks for hair and wardrobe and sharing his love for all things Yu-Gi-Oh! (a popular anime series and card trading game.)

At the Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon earlier this summer, Lyles arrived to the venue in full suits, wore a different race kit each day, and revealed his daily Yu-Gi-Oh! card to TV cameras before tucking it in his track shorts and settling into his blocks.

NBC’s Olympic color correspondent Snoop Dog joined Lyles and a full press scrum to reveal the sprinter’s kit and card for the 100m semis trial.

Noah Lyles 🇺🇸 fashion walk with Snoop Dogg ahead of the men's 100m semis at the US Olympic Trials!pic.twitter.com/K3SeMNrWKe

— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) June 23, 2024

Said Lyles about the possibility he’d show up second on the leader board after his 100m dazzler: “I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t ready to see it and that’s the first time I’ve ever said that. I wasn’t ready to see it.”

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