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Showman Noah Lyles becomes world fastest man by five thousandths of a second

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After all the talk and all the hype, Noah Lyles duly delivered when it mattered most when he won a superlative Olympic 100 metres final by five thousandths of a second on Sunday to give the United States the title for the first time in 20 years.

In the most competitive final of all time, there was a blanket finish, with the stadium scoreboard initially flashing a photo to separate the first seven athletes and Lyles believing he had lost.

He was then confirmed him as the winner in a personal best 9.79 seconds, the same time as Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, but ahead by the width of a vest.

If the race had been 99 metres Thompson would have been celebrating a fourth Jamaican win in five Olympics, but fast-finishing Lyles kept his form superbly and timed his dip expertly to add Olympic gold to his world title.

He ripped his bib name from his shirt and held it aloft with his red, white and blue varnished fingernails, announcing himself, as he had always promised he would be, as the fastest man in the world.

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“It’s the one I wanted, it’s the hard battle, it’s the amazing opponents,” said Lyles, the first American Olympic 100m champion since Justin Gatlin in 2004.

“Everybody came prepared for the fight and I wanted to prove that I’m the man among all of them, I’m the wolf among wolves.”

It was the first time eight men have broken 10 seconds in a wind-legal 100 metres race.

THOMPSON DISAPPOINTED

“I am a bit disappointed, but I am happy at the same time,” Thompson said. “I wasn’t patient enough with myself to let my speed bring me at the line, in the position that I know I could have gone to, but I have learnt from it.”

“I know that Jamaica would have wanted me to get the gold, everybody love winners. I would have loved to win today, but big up to the whole field.”

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American Fred Kerley took bronze in 9.81 and Akani Simbini of South Africa was fourth, making it a remarkable six fourth or fifth-placed finishes in global championships, albeit with the consolation of a national record of 9.83.

Defending champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy, heavily strapped, finished fifth in 9.85 and Letsile Tebogo of Botswana also set a national record with 9.86 in sixth place.

-Reuters

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

Olympics

Olympic rings removed from Eiffel Tower

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The Eiffel Tower and the Olympic Rings

The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.

The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June. 

According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo  wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.

The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.

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Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul

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Ahmed El-Gendy won Egypt's only gold at the Paris Olympics

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered  a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that  participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.

The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.

Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.

Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.

Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review. 

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Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.

-Insidethegames

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Paris 2024 Games break record ticket sales

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Beach Volleyball - Men's Gold Medal Match - Sweden vs Germany (Ahman/Hellvig vs Ehlers/Wickler) - Eiffel Tower Stadium, Paris, France - August 10, 2024. REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo

Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.

Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.

In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.

-Reuters

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