Noah Lyles snatched a photo-finish victory in the closest 100m final in modern Olympic history on Sunday to end USA’s 20-year wait to recapture the world’s most prestigious sprinting crown. 

In a nerve-shredding final at the Stade de France, Lyles, the charismatic 27-year-old from Florida, took gold by a fraction from Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson. Lyles’s winning margin boiled down to just five thousandths of a second, with the American clocked at 9.784sec to Thompson’s 9.789sec, though both men’s times will be listed as 9.79sec. It was the narrowest margin of victory since electronic timing has been used at the Olympics. Lyles’ compatriot Fred Kerley took bronze in 9.81sec.