SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Noah Lyles, of Alexandria, Virginia, finished behind Jamaica’s Oblique Seville in the semifinal of the Olympic 100 meters Sunday but still advanced for a rematch in the gold-medal race later in the evening.
Seville is now 2-0 this season against Lyles after finishing in 9.81 seconds, good for a .02-second margin over the American champion.
Seville got off to a stronger start than Lyles, and the American made up ground over the last 40 meters but couldn’t completely close the gap. Lyles also lost his opening-round heat — to Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe on Saturday. Hinchliffe finished third in the semifinal and did not advance.
Joining Lyles in the eight-man final will be Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who won his semifinal in 9.80 seconds, the fastest time in the three semifinal. Thompson also has the world’s best time this year at 9.77; he and Seville are trying to put Jamaica back on top of the Olympic podium for the first time since Usain Bolt retired after the 2016 Games.
Defending champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy finished third in the second semifinal and advanced because his 9.92 was the best among sprinters who didn’t automatically qualify by finishing in the top two in their heats.
Also in the final will be Americans Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and South Africa’s Akani Simbine.
Other gold medals on the line Sunday night at the Stade de France are in men’s hammer throw and women’s high jump, where Yaroslava Mahuchikh tries to bring Olympic gold to her war-torn home country of Ukraine.
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