Noah Lyles was quick to dedicate his Olympic gold medal to his late coach Rashawn Jackson after winning the 100m final.
The American took the gold medal Jamaican Kishane Thompson on Sunday night by just 0.005 seconds after a dramatic surge.
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His victory means he adds to his bronze medal haul from Tokyo 2020 in the 200m, another event in which he will be aiming for gold.
And in an interview following the epic race, the 27-year-old was keen to pay tribute to Jackson, who passed away earlier this summer, where he could be heard letting his emotions get the better of him.
It was Jackson who helped make it Lyles the sprinter he is today, having been his coach at Alexandria City High School.
Lyles wrote a heartfelt post on social media following her death in July and, speaking after her 100m triumph, he could not contain his emotions.
Speaking to reporters, Lyles said: “It’s an incredible moment. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve fully absorbed it yet.
“I have so many houses, and Alexandria [city in Virginia] is definitely one of them, Charltotte, North Carolina, Orlando, Florida, Clermont, Gainesville [both Florida].
“There are so many places I have ties to, and my coach, Rashawn Jackson, passed away recently.
“I remember when I was running down the home stretch and I was like, ‘This one’s for you, man.'”
It was at this moment that Lyles could be heard collapsing.
Through tears, he continued: “I thought he would be here to see it, I’ll be honest.
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Men’s 100m Final – Results
- Noah Lyles (9.784 secs) (PB) – United States
- Kishane Thompson (9.789 seconds) – Jamaica
- Fred Kerley (9.81 secs) (SB) – United States
- Akani Simbine (9.82 seconds) (NR) – South Africa
- Marcell Jacobs (9.85 secs) (SB) – Italy
- Letsile Tebogo (9.86 seconds) (NR) – Botswana
- Kenneth Bednarek (9.88 seconds) – United States
- Oblique Seville (9.91 secs) – Jamaica
“But I know he’s watching, but I really thought he’d be here in the flesh.
“He believed I would be a 100m runner as much as I would be a 200m runner.”
Commenting on his gold medal haul in the 200m and 4x100m relays, he added: “Man, I’m over the moon because I’ve just won the toughest one.
“The 100m is by far the most difficult, which doesn’t mean there isn’t competition until the end.
“But I feel like this was the one that could have gotten away from me.”
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