“It is a great stepping stone. I needed to see a sub-10. I needed to see winning, beating people. I took out some really big heads today, people who run 9.7 and 9.8. I am getting the confidence. It makes me really excited for not only today but also for next week and Tokyo.” This is what Noah Lyles said after the 100m race in Silesia Diamond League. He came second, behind Kishane Thompson (9.87s) after overtaking Coleman and Kenny Bednarek in the last 40m, clocking his first sub-10 of the season, 9.90s. He was happy about it and must have been looking for another in Lausanne. Which can be hard. How, you ask?

A track and field fan took to their X handle to post a concerning update for the Lausanne Diamond League. They wrote, “The weather in Lausanne (DL is on Wednesday) 😭“, posting a 10-day weather forecast of the Swiss city. While the forecast showed the sun shining upon the Olympic Capital until Tuesday, the very next day (the day of the Diamond League) shows a sixty-five percent chance of the rain gods taking over. This was as of August 15th, 3:02 PM EDT.

The fan posted another update on August 18th, 6:59 AM EDT, and the rain gods seem to be coming in hot in Lausanne on Wednesday, August 20, with a chance of 90%. This is not good news for fans of the 100m Olympic gold medalist, as they might have to wait for another meet to witness a sub-10 from him. The same thing happened in London before.

At the London Diamond League, Noah Lyles made his 2025 100m debut. But before the meeting began, the thunderstorms were having the time of their life. The Met Office had earlier warned that London, Cambridge, and the south coast could see a month’s worth of rainfall, between 20 and 40mm (0.8-1.6in) in an hour. Though it was not as bad as it was feared, it was enough to make the tracks wet and slow down athletes. Oblique Seville won that 100m in 9.86 seconds, but no other athlete hit a sub-10.

Big names like Lyles and Akani Simbine (the athlete who had not lost a 100m until then), clocked 10.00 (2nd) and 10.11 (5th) respectively. And the risk is not only for Lyles alone, but for team USA, like Grant Fisher, Masai Russell, Anna Hal, and others as well. Because the rain can also make the surface more prone to accidents, as a wet surface can easily make anybody fall. This is also going to make the 100m race not as interesting after Kishane Thompson also pulled out.

No more Noah Lyles vs Kishane Thompson in Lausanne?

So no, Kishane Thompson is not flying to Switzerland for the next Diamond League. “Kishane Thompson has pulled out of the Lausanne Diamond League and won’t be competing in any more of the Diamond Leagues this season. I suspect the next time we’ll see him compete is September 13th in the 100m Heats at the Tokyo World Championships,” The Inside Lane reporter, Lillian, shared on her official X account.

Thompson pulling out takes away one of the meet’s most anticipated showdowns against Noah Lyles. Their rivalry promised plenty of drama, especially since Thompson had narrowly beaten Lyles in Silesia with a 9.87 to 9.90 finish. Lyles still has tough competition from Oblique Seville, but without Thompson, that narrative tension disappears, making the 100 m race feel a bit less exciting for fans and casual viewers alike.