It was a much-anticipated final for Athletics fans all over the globe, with rivalries and momentum building up in the last couple of months. For some, it was a chance to cement their legacy; for others, a moment to announce themselves as the future of sprinting in the new biennial.
The semifinals gave a glimpse of what to expect as the defending champion Noah Lyles won his heat in 9.92s ahead of an energetic debutant Kayinsola Ajayi who upset Akani Simbine to take the 2nd automatic spot in 9.93s. Although, the South African would later go through as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers.
Kishane Thompson and Kenny Bednarek went neck and neck but it was the latter who took the win despite clocking an identical time of 9.85s, which doubled as the fastest time heading to the final.
The last semifinal was taken by Oblique Sevile who bettered his start from the heats, crossing the line in 9.86s ahead of Letsile Tebogo (9.94s). Gift Leotlela who was the fastest qualifier in the heats grabbed the other non automatic spot in 9.97s.
The final began with high drama as Tebogo had a false start and was immediately disqualified, creating a tensed atmosphere but all that went into oblivion once the gun went off. As expected, Thompson went out with a terrific start, leaving Lyles behind whose top speed was equal to none, to play catch-up.
However, there was briskly Seville who was covering grounds with each strides, hitting top speed after the first 70m to catch up with his compatriot, successfully edging him out in the last five metres to take the GOLD and lead a 1-2 finish for Jamaica in a Personal Best (PB) of 9.77s.
Thompson settled for Silver in 9.82s. Lyles’ top speed proved instrumental in grabbing the Bronze over his teammate, Kenny Bednarek in a Season’s Best (SB) of 9.89s to 9.92s.
It was 5-6-7 finish for Africa with Gift Leotlela leading the charge in 9.95s followed by Ajayi (10.00s) and the veteran Simbine (10.04).
