Paris 2024: Can USA's Noah Lyles become one of the 10 fastest men in 100m history?

Feeling confident
An Olympic title added?
Competitors
The ten fastest males
Usain Bolt (9.58s)
Tyson Gay (9.69s)
Yohan Blake (9.69s)
Asafa Powell (9.72s)
Justin Gatlin (9.74s)
Christian Coleman (9.76s)
Trayvon Bromell (9.76s)
Fred Kerley (9.76s)
Ferdinand Omanyala (9.77s)
Kishane Thompson (9.77s)
Feeling confident

"I'm going to win. It's what I always do," USA's Noah Lyles was feeling confident ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

An Olympic title added?

Lyles is a three-time 200m world champion and won his first 100m world title in Budapest in 2023. At last month's US trials, Lyles ran his best 100m time of 9.83s, and for all his confidence, this 100m is definitely not a foregone conclusion.

Competitors

Jamaica's Kishane Thompson and Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya are runners looking for their first Olympic golds, with Omanyala running a season's best of 9.79 in Kenya. 2022 world champion Fred Kerley is back to his best, and can reigning champion Marcell Jacobs rediscover his form?

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The ten fastest males

Here are the ten fastest male sprinters in history that Lyles and his competitors aim to join! According to the times recorded from the World Athletics website.

Usain Bolt (9.58s)

The fastest man to ever live is Usain Bolt, the winner of three 100m Olympic gold medals. Bolt ran his fastest time of 9.58s in Berlin at the 2009 World Championships, beating out Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell to record a world record that still stands!

 

Tyson Gay (9.69s)

America's Tyson Gay became the second fastest man to live after his time of 9.69s at the Shanghai Grand Prix in 2009. Gay beat rival Asafa Powell in the race and matched Usain Bolt's winning time at the 2008 Olympics, according to the SportsNet website.

Yohan Blake (9.69s)

100m Olympic silver medalist Yohan Blake became the joint second fastest man behind Usain Bolt in 2012 with a blistering time of 9.69s to win the 100m Diamond League meet in Lausanne. He beat Tyson Gay in the final.

Asafa Powell (9.72s)

Like Blake, Asafe Powell recorded his fastest in the 100m at the Diamond League meet in Lausanne, but four years earlier in 2008. Powell was part of Jamaica's legendary sprinting team with Bolt and Blake, winning gold at the 2016 Olympics.

Justin Gatlin (9.74s)

USA's Justin Gatlin had a legendary career in the 100m sprint, winning gold in the event at the 2004 Olympic Games and challenging Usain Bolt throughout his whole career. Gatlin recorded his fastest time of 9.74s at the Diamond League meet in Doha.

Christian Coleman (9.76s)

USA's Christian Coleman will be fighting for the 100m title at the Paris Games and recorded his lowest time of 9.76s at the Doha World Championships in 2019, claiming his first world title. He ran well clear of Justin Gatlin and Andre de Grasse to claim the win.

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Trayvon Bromell (9.76s)

Trayvon Bromell ran the fastest 100m of 2021, hitting a time of 9.76s to claim the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya, beating Ferdinand Omanyala by a hundredth of a second. The two-time Olympian missed the Olympic trials for the upcoming Games.

Fred Kerley (9.76s)

According to Oregon Live, USA's Fred Kerley ran a scorching 9.77s to claim victory at the 2022 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, a world-leading time in 2022. The American won silver in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics. Can he go one better in Paris?

Ferdinand Omanyala (9.77s)

Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala is the only person on this list not to win his race after recording a time of 9.77s, losing to Trayvon Bromell in his home country, creating one of the fastest 100m races in recent years.

Kishane Thompson (9.77s)

Jamaica's Kishane Thompson looks to be the biggest threat for the 100m gold medal at the Paris Games, recording a world-leading time of 9.77s at Jamaica's Olympic trials in June 2024. In his second season as a pro, he could be the frontrunner for Olympic gold.

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