"I think it's Kishane Thompson's race to lose" - Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green back the Jamaican for 100m gold at Paris Olympics 2024

Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson will headline one of the most anticipated 100m races of the year at the Paris Olympics 2024. While it is a close contest, former sprinters Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green claimed that the Jamaican was a favorite, and it would be his race to lose in Paris.

Thompson has been clocking impressive times over the last year but injuries largely marred his 2023 season. He rose to the limelight in June during the Jamaican Olympic Trials, when he ran a world-leading time of 9.77s to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024. It was the fastest time in two years, and the last sprinter to run faster than him was Fred Kerley, who clocked 9.76 at the 2022 World Championships.

Earlier during the trials, Kishane Thompson clocked 9.82s, which was only his first race of the season. Noah Lyles’, USA's biggest hope of 100m gold, hadn't run that fast in his career until a week ago. With coach Paul Francis claiming that Thompson could have run 9.6s, the 23-year-old is heading into the Paris Olympics as an overwhelming favorite. Former sprinter Rodney Green shared similar sentiments.

"I definitely think it's Kishane's race to lose. The reason why I say that, because it's not about the physical attributes anymore. Him, Noah, and everybody else, Taboho, they're in shape," he said on Ready, Set, Go podcast. (25:00)

Kishane Thompson has been shutting down his speed after finding himself ahead of the rest after 60-70 meters, and that could both be a good and a bad thing.

"So you think the last 30, 40, 20 meters is icing on the cake. They're going to work on that, leading up to the Olympics, and they're going to unveil it when it's time to unveil that part," Justin Gatlin added and Green agreed.

Does Noah Lyles stand any chance in front of Kishane Thompson at the Paris Olympics 2024?

London Athletics Meet -Noah Lyles in action (Photo-Getty)

Noah Lyles ran a new lifetime best of 9.81s at the London Diamond League last week. Although it was 0.04s slower than Thompson’s 9.77, there were a lot of underlying facts in favor of the world champion.

Lyles eased to the finish line without looking to make any extra effort. The 27-year-old ran the time in a negative headwind of 0.3, while Thompson's time of 9.77s had a positive wind of 0.9, and when these two times are compared in still conditions, they are almost identical, 9.80s.

Additionally, Noah Lyles struggled with his start again, and if he gets that perfect by the time of the 100m final in August, he will have a very good chance of beating Kishane Thompson. Nonetheless, the Jamaican is a step ahead.