Surprising fans, Louie Hinchliffe from Britain secured a qualifying advantage over 100 metres favorite Noah Lyles, finishing first in the first-round heats with a time of 9.98 seconds on Saturday.
Under the guidance of coach Carl Lewis and making history as the first European to win the NCAA title in the United States, Hinchliffe demonstrated a strong finish. Lyles, who wasn’t holding back entirely, came in second at 10.04 seconds, qualifying comfortably for the next round.
Lyles aims for an impressive four gold medals in Paris, competing in the 100m, his preferred 200m, the 4x100m relay, and potentially the 4x400m relay. Achieving this would place him alongside notable legends like Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis, who accomplished the same feat at a single Games, albeit with the long jump instead of the longer relay. “It was a beautiful reaction, and great to see everything coming together,” Lyles remarked after receiving a warm welcome from the sold-out crowd at Stade de France. “It’s challenging. These guys are ready to compete.”
Currently, Kishane Thompson holds the world-leading time of 9.77, which he clocked to win the Jamaican trials back in June. At just 23 years old and in his second year as a professional, he managed to stay focused despite the distractions caused by the false-start disqualification of British athlete Jeremiah Azu in the adjacent lane. Thompson started strong and eased off to finish in 10.00, winning the first heat.
Thompson has demonstrated his ability to handle the competition throughout the rounds, recording times of 9.82 and 9.84 in the heats and semi-finals during the Jamaican trials before clinching the title with a world-leading time of 9.77, making him the ninth-fastest man in history. He aspires to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Usain Bolt as only the second Jamaican to capture this esteemed title.
Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, the reigning champion, has faced challenges with injuries since his unexpected success in Tokyo. He appeared a bit sluggish in the heats, finishing second in 10.05 behind Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi (10.02). “I’m feeling great and in good shape, but I had to conserve my energy,” Jacobs commented.
Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, the second-fastest this season with a time of 9.79, comfortably won his heat in 10.08 seconds. Canadian sprinter Andre de Grasse, bronze medalist in the last two Olympics and 200m champion in Tokyo, recovered from a poor start to secure the third automatic qualifying spot in his heat with a time of 10.07, edging out the competition by a hundredth of a second. American Kenny Bednarek impressively won his heat in 9.97, the equal fastest time of the day.
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American Fred Kerley, the 2022 world champion, concluded the heats with a win in a competitive final heat, clocking 9.97. He finished ahead of Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (10.01) and the slow-starting Briton Zharnel Hughes (10.03), who had been disqualified for a false start in the Tokyo Olympic final. The semi-finals and final are set to take place on Sunday evening.
