Paris has been avenged. Kishane Thompson had been sending warnings; he predicted fireworks when he met his Olympic rival, Noah Lyles, once again. Sure, the day did come when the two lined up today in the Silesia Diamond League. The commentator before the race began said to expect some explosives. The Jamaican lived up to those words, while the American gold medalist did have his Boom, but it did come late; Thompson had taken his revenge.

“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” said the commentator as the 100m showdown wrapped up at the Silesia Diamond League. The world was locked in as Noah Lyles and the Jamaican lined up, but once the gun went off, Thompson was untouchable, a lightning bolt. He took the lead early and never let it slip. Exploding out of the blocks, he surged past Lyles, Bednarek, Coleman, Simbine, and the rest, leaving no doubt who the fastest man of 2025 is. His winning time? A blazing 9.87.

Meanwhile, Noah Lyles finished behind him with a time of 9.90 seconds. This had the fans saying, “All Noah Lyles needs is a half decent start and it’s curtains for everyone in the 100.” Are they wrong? One can say that he would have run past Thompson, but he sure did start slow. Thompson was fast; he didn’t give anybody a chance to overtake him for the win. Lyles chased for the third position with Coleman and Bednarek.

But this is Noah Lyles, the 100m Olympics gold medalist we are talking about. The Olympian accelerated in the final 40m of the race to claim the silver in 9.90 seconds. Lyles, though, is satisfied with his race. After the race, he said, “I am getting the confidence. It makes me really excited for not only today but also for next week and Tokyo. The more I run, the better I am getting. I get more excited each day, and it is working.”

The fans, though, are not entirely satisfied. They want the Olympian to fix his start and nail the 100m in Tokyo. If he is coming to Lausanne, that would be his final chance before the Diamond League finals in Zurich. And then there is the World Athletics Championships next month. Lyles has to lock in.

The Track and Field Community Has a Demand for Noah Lyles

This race was a big one; Noah Lyles vs Kishane Thompson had been brewing, and Lyles losing this showdown has sparked a faith as well as a demand from the fans. As much as they are sure of him winning the Worlds, they are also sure he needs to fix his start to win. One user said, “Noah Lyles always finishes with some crazy top speed. He just needs to work on how he starts his runs. But honestly Kishane Thompson has been in a fine form this season.” Until now, there was a buzz that Lyles had not crossed the sub-10 mark, but when challenged, he shows. 9.90, 10 hundredths of his previous time.

Another fan noted, “Good win, work to do for Kishane. If Lyles got a decent start, he would’ve walked him down 😭“. Arguable but not completely wrong. 9.87 is not Thompson’s best this season; the Jamaican can do better, and he definitely must be saving it for the Worlds. Meanwhile, yes, the American track and field athlete went to compete for third place to finish second, which is a good start, and he might have been breathing down the Jamaican’s neck, maybe even recreate Paris.

“What do you make of Lyles’ poor start? Astonishingly, his coach has not been able to correct that since the Paris Olympics. Are some runners just slow to react to the gun? Can it not be rectified? Noah’s closing speed is unmatched. He just had too much ground to make up today.” The fan is right to raise that question. He had the worst reaction time of 0.178 seconds in the Paris Olympics, though Lyles still won the gold.

But this year, Thompson is not holding back on the field, and he will to give in to pressure again. Lyles and his coach must work on that, else Tokyo is going to be much, much harder. “Noah winning in Tokyo! 2nd race and already 9.9? legend,” said another user. That’s a good time, but let’s not forget the Jamaican has 9.75 up his sleeve. Who’s your pick for Tokyo?