It was a photo finish, and for a few moments after the 100 meter final at the Paris Olympics the crowd at home in Alexandria was silent. Did Noah Lyles pull it off?
Moments later, hundreds of Alexandrians burst into applause as hometown favorite Noah Lyles cemented his place in the record books with a time of 9.79 seconds to earn the gold medal.
After the race, Lyles said that he wasn’t sure he’d won the race until his name was announced.
“Everybody on the field, to be honest, came out knowing that they could win this race,” Lyles said. “I did this against the best of the best, on the biggest stage with the biggest pressure.”
Lyles’ uncle, Rahsaan Caine, watched from the bar.
“He did it,” Caine said. “That was a little too close. It was photo finish close. I was definitely nervous for him, and it was the most amazing race. I’m super happy for him.”
Caine said that his 27-year-old nephew had a much different experience at the Tokyo Olympics, where he earned a bronze medal in the 200 meters.
“Tokyo was a much different experience,” Caine said. “There were no crowds there, he had to be by himself and he feeds off of energy. It was extremely difficult.”
Pork Barrel bartender Isaac Liss went to Alexandria City High School with Lyles.
“He’s a good guy,” Liss said of Lyles. “It’s pretty awesome. He was super successful in high school, and he was dominating back then. I didn’t know it was going to be a world domination.”
Lyles will next run in his best event, the 200m. There’s a watch party for the 200m final at Alexandria City High School on Thursday, Aug. 8 from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Lyles was raised in Alexandria and is a 2016 ACHS graduate.
“Congrats Noah Lyles,” Mayor Justin Wilson wrote on Facebook. “Alexandria is very proud of you!”
