Paris 2024: Lyles and Thompson are favorites for Gold, but can we get another upset this year?

This is the first of our previews of the track & field events in Paris 2024. This is written by senior writer Deji Ogeyingbo.

Paris 2024: Lyles and Thompson are favorites for Gold, but can we get another upset this year?

As is customary before the Olympics, predictions for the men’s 100m- the most-watched event at the games, are beginning to reach fever-pitch.

As is customary, fans and pundits have gone into overdrive with who they think can win the title and get the tag of the fastest man in the world. Since Usain Bolt hung his spikes in 2017, there hasn’t been an overwhelming favorite for the title. Compared to what we saw at the last Games in Tokyo, where a Long Jumper stormed the world and took the win, we could potentially witness the most competitive men’s 100m final since the 2012 Games.

Three years since Marcell Jacobs took the men’s 100m Olympic title, the Italian has struggled to live up to the hype since then. The winner of this year’s event will have a lot riding on his shoulders.

This brings us to the two favorites for the title; Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson.

The former is the more popular athlete as he has accomplished more in the sport. More significantly, his three titles from last year’s world championships in Budapest, matching the great Bolt, puts him a nudge ahead. But it’s not all that simple. Track fans are obsessed with times and many feel Lyles not being able to break into the top 10 fastest men in history over the 100m still counts against him.

His Personal Best of 9.81s which he ran at the London Diamond League a few days ago isn’t all that flashy, and judging by antecedent, he would need to run fastest if he wants that official tag of the ‘world fastest man’. Lyles brings to the table a lot of personality and panache, ingredients many have said have been missing in the sport, but can he run faster than he has already over the distance? History says yes.

Thompson on the other hand is still a fledgling in the event but has taken the world by storm in the last few months. The 23-year-old Jamaican champion has yet to compete in the World Championships or the Olympics. This year, Thompson remains undefeated in the 100 meters, running sub-9.85 in all three races at the Jamaican Championships. He capped off his impressive streak with a personal best of 9.77 in the final.

That being said Kishane Thompson is talented enough that he could run a bad race and still win.

Now to the contenders: Oblique Seville has finished fourth in his last two major championships. Although he hasn’t been able to break the 9.8s barrier, there is a sense that all the work Glenn Mills has put in him will come together in Paris. He does have a 9.7 in him as well he needs to time his rounds right. Knowing how to run the rounds well at these major championships is also very key to winning the title.

Fred Kerley has had a topsy-turvy year, and having not made last year’s world championship final, he seems to be coming into his groove. Surely, he can run faster than his 9.88s run from the US Olympic trials.

Letsile Tebogo was the surprise Silver medalist from last year’s World Championships. Although he hasn’t shown us his full strength yet in the 200m his speed endurance has improved as well as his 100m. He equaled his PB of 9.88s in London. You know he can run faster, but will it be enough for Gold? Akani Simbine and Ferdinand Omanyala are the other two sprinters from Africa who will be looking to shine on the global stage. The latter has come unstuck at these major championships and will be looking for perhaps one last redemption.

Jacobs, who is the defending champion will have to do the unthinkable to defend his title. For Andre De Grasse, you could stake your money on him finding new gear at the Olympics, as he has shown over time that he knows what it takes to win at these events.

Regardless of what happens, we are in for a treat on the 4^th of August.