Men's 100m race at Olympics: Who are the fastest sprinters?
The men's 100-meter final at the 2024 Paris Olympics was a grueling one. All eight sprinters crossed the finish line in an almighty heap and the winner was decided subsequently. USA's Noah Lyles claimed the gold by a whisker as he was just ahead of second-placed Kishane Thompson of Jamaica. Let's decode the fastest male athletes to complete the 100m race at the Olympics.
Bolt holds the top two places
Jamaican legend Usain Bolt claimed eight medals at the Olympics, all gold. The sprinter covered 100 meters in just 9.63 seconds in the final of the 2012 London Games. This remains an all-time Olympic record. Bolt also holds the second spot on this list, having clocked 9.69 seconds in the final of the 2008 event, which took place in Beijing.
Yohan Blake and Justin Gatlin
In Yohan Blake, we have another Jamaican on this list. He clocked 9.75 seconds in the 2012 London Games final but had to settle for the silver as Bolt walked away with the gold. Notably, that was Blake's debut Olympics campaign. Meanwhile, the bronze in that race went to USA's Justin Gatlin, who timed 9.79 seconds. Gatlin hence stands fourth on the all-time list.
Glory for Lyles
The 2024 men's 100-meter final was a crazy affair as Lyles triumphed by an extremely narrow margin. Both Lyles and Thompson bobbed over the line in 9.79 seconds and it took several replays to decide the winner. The official results showed just how close it was. Lyles ran 9.784 seconds while Thompson finished in 9.789 seconds.
Greatest 100m final?
It was indeed an intense race as all eight sprinters crossed the line within 10 seconds. The last-placed Oblique Seville, who is a Jamaican, clocked 9.91. Meanwhile, bronze medalist Fred Kerley of USA took 9.81 seconds. Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson hence described the race as the greatest 100m final.
