How Kishane Thompson’s yelling during entrance at Paris Olympics 100m final sparked Noah Lyles’ winning spirit
Noah Lyles has shared how an energetic moment from Jamaican rival Kishane Thompson inspired his dramatic entrance and eventual victory in the 100 meters final at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
In a thrilling photo finish, Lyles narrowly beat Thompson by just five-thousandths of a second, capturing the gold medal in his fastest-ever 100m race. Despite being known for his showmanship, Lyles had struggled earlier, losing both his heats and semifinals to Jamaica’s Oblique Seville.
Before the final, Lyles knew he needed to change something. In an interview with former NFL stars Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson on the Night Cap show, he revealed that advice from his therapist helped him adjust his approach: “run with less aggression and more freedom.”
Lyles had initially planned to make a unique entrance, but not in the wild, animated way it ultimately turned out. That changed after five sprinters were introduced, and Thompson came out yelling, as if declaring he was ready to win. Lyles admitted that this unexpected energy lit a fire within him.
“We get out there, and they’re doing the intros, and you know, Kishane comes down yelling, and I’m like, ‘oh, hold on, that’s me!’” Lyles reflected.
“But I liked it because I love to see more personalities come up than just looking at the camera and saying ‘hi.’ It’s like, ‘nah, Noah, bring that energy, get me excited to run!’”
The atmosphere in the stadium was electric, and Lyles said the Olympic energy motivated him even more.
“There’s another YouTube video NBC put out where you can see us in the back of the car room, Fred [Kerley] banging on the wall, Kishane doing his yelling. I’m over here singing ‘Dreams and Nightmares,’ thinking, ‘yeah, this is the Olympic Finals!’”
Lyles then amped up the crowd, jumping around, running past the cameras, and getting the audience involved. “I’m yelling at the crowd, and they’re excited. I’m like, ‘yeah, this is my race now.’”
As he prepared for the race, Lyles turned to his faith, repeating, “God got me, God got me.” He felt confident that his hard work leading up to the Olympics had prepared him, and now it was about believing in himself. “It’s not about running fast times; it’s about running to win. The times will come when you win.”
Lyles’ focus on enjoying the moment and tapping into the energy around him ultimately helped propel him to gold, adding another remarkable achievement to his sprinting career.
