Noah Lyles Wins Gold At Olympics, Dedicates It To Alexandria High School Coach

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Noah Lyles, an Alexandria graduate who went on to become a professional track and field athlete, won gold in the men's 100m at the Paris Olympics Sunday.

Lyles narrowly beat Kishane Thompson of Jamaica to claim the win as the world's fastest man, NBC Olympics reported. Lyles clocked in at 9.784 seconds, which was five-thousandths of second before Thompson's 9.789 seconds. He was determined to be the winner because of Olympics rules saying that Lyles' torso crossed the finish line first despite Thompson's foot appearing across the finish line first. Fred Kerley, another competitor from the United States, won the bronze medal.

This was the first Olympic gold medal for Lyles, a graduate of T.C. Williams High School (now renamed Alexandria City High School). The last time an American won the 100m gold medal was Justin Gatlin at the 2004 Athens Games.

In comments after the finish, Lyles dedicated his win to his late Coach Rashawn Jackson, an assistant track and field coach at Alexandria City High School, who died recently.

"I thought he was going to be here to see it," Lyles told reporters. "I know that he's watching. I really thought he was going to be here in the flesh, because he believed that I was gonna be a 100 meter runner just as much as I was going to be a 200 meter runner."

Lyles also tweeted a message inspiring others to pursue their dreams.

"I have Asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and Depression, Lyles shared. "But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!"

Lyles will now compete in the men's 200m on Thursday. He won the bronze medal in the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Lyles set the 200m American record and third-fastest time ever at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. He is striving to break Jamaican Usain Bolt's 200m world record of 19.19 seconds, set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

The City of Alexandria is hosting a Noah Lyles Paris Watch Party for the 200m event at Alexandria City High School from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8. Attendees are asked to RSVP before 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6.