SAINT-DENIS: Jamaican Kishane Thompson let out a scream after crossing the finish line that was fitting of an Olympic 100-metre champion. Because, for a brief moment, he thought maybe he was.
By the slimmest of margins, Thompson was beaten out for gold on a perfectly timed lean from American Noah Lyles on the night of August 4. Their times of 9.79 seconds needed to be calculated farther out to determine the winner — with Lyles winning 9.784 to 9.789. Thompson was five-thousandths of a second away from joining the company of fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt as an Olympic champion.
“I’m a bit disappointed,” Thompson said. “But I am happy at the same time. I am going to take it as what it is and move forward from here.”
Someone asked Thompson soon after if he thought the gold medal could be shared, since it was that close of race. It would be a nod to the high jumpers at the Tokyo Games in 2021, when Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Mutaz Barshim of Qatar agreed to split the gold medal.
Somehow, Thompson didn’t think Lyles would go for the idea.
“I think the sport is too competitive, no offense to any other sport,” the 23-year-old Thompson said. “It’s too competitive for us to share a gold medal.”
The race was barely over and Thompson was already replaying the little things that could've made a big difference. Maybe more of a lean. Maybe a bit more patience to let his speed propel him to the finish line.
“I know that Jamaica would have wanted me to get the gold,” he said. “Everybody loves winners.”
Thompson was in lane four in the final and Lyles in lane seven. He couldn't see Lyles out that far, so he wasn't sure precisely where he stood right after the finish. Thompson knew it was close and immediately glanced at the scoreboard for an answer.
He waited. They all waited.
Lyles gave him a glimmer of hope, though.
“I did think Thompson had it at the end,” Lyles said. “I even said, 'Bro, I think you got that one big dog. And then my name popped up, and I’m like, 'Oh my gosh, I’m amazing.’”
Thompson became the first Jamaican to be on the podium in the men's Olympic 100m since Bolt's run of three straight titles in 2008, ’12 and ’16.
“My body language will not show it because I am not an expressive guy, but I am glad,” Thompson said. “I’m super grateful.”
Thompson entered the race with the fastest time of the season and was viewed as the biggest threat to Lyles. It came down to the wire with all eight sprinters separated by a margin of .12 seconds — and even closer for gold and silver.
“That close,” Thompson said. “It was that close.”
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