Noah Lyles cruised to an epic photo-finish victory in the closest and most contested men's 100m final in modern Olympic history to end a 20-year American sprint drought.
In an extremely dramatic finish at the Stade de France, 27-year-old Lyles edged out Jamaica's Kishane Thompson by just five-thousandths of a second. The American finished with a time of 9.784, while Thompson was left with a 9.789. It was the smallest difference between first and second in the final standings since electronic timing was used at the Games. Lyles' compatriot - Fred Curley, took the bronze after 9.81 seconds. The competition was so close that the electronic scoreboard in the hall simply said "photo" to seven of the eight finalists.
Reigning 100m and 200m world champion Lyles eventually celebrated victory after some delay. "This is the win I wanted. The tough fight, the incredible opponents. Everyone was healthy, everyone came prepared for the fight and I wanted to prove that I was above them. I'm the wolf among the wolves," said the new king of the men's 100m, adding: "I went up to Kishane and said, 'Honestly, man, I think you've won. And I was absolutely prepared to see first his name and then mine. Afterwards, I was “Oh my God. I'm amazing." The American now sets his sights on the 200m race.
In the women's high jump, Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh defended her reputation as the women's best after claiming gold in the 200cm bar. The world champion and world record holder, who broke Stefka Kostadinova's 37-year-old record again in Paris, but in a stop from the Diamond League, left second also with 2m Nicola Olyslagers from Australia. Two athletes won bronze - Eleanor Patterson, also from Australia, and Maguchih's compatriot - Irina Gerashchenko.
Canadian world champion Ethan Katzberg celebrates in the men's hammer throw. The 22-year-old competitor did his job already with the first attempt of 84.12m. It was an attempt four meters more than the nearest chaser - Bence Halas of Hungary. The bronze went to Ukrainian Mykhaylo Kokhan. | BGNES
