Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson gained a measure of revenge over Olympic champion Noah Lyles by winning their first 100m meeting since the Paris Games, clocking 9.87 seconds at the Silesia Diamond League in Chorzów on 16 august.
The Jamaican, who lost Olympic gold to Lyles by just five-thousandths of a second in paris last year, made a blistering start and never looked back, equalling the meet record. Lyles recovered from a sluggish reaction time to finish second in 9.90, while fellow American Kenny Bednarek took third in 9.96.
“It felt alright. My job is to get the job done,” said Thompson, who missed the 2023 World Championships in Budapest but will be among the favourites for this year’s edition in Tokyo from 13 to 21 september.
Despite the loss, Lyles remained upbeat: “I needed to see a sub-10. I needed to see winning, beating people. I took out some really big heads today. It gives me confidence and makes me really excited for Tokyo.”
Drawn in lane five, Thompson powered out of the blocks in hot, humid conditions, producing a gun-to-tape run that left the field chasing shadows. Lyles, placed in lane seven, looked out of the medals early but surged late to edge past Bednarek.
Thompson’s time matched the 9.87 meet record jointly held by Americans Ronnie Baker and Fred Kerley, though it fell short of his world-leading 9.75 set at the Jamaican trials in june – a mark that ranks him sixth on the all-time list.