World sprint champion Noah Lyles has revealed the last three words he said to himself in the starting blocks, before he stormed to Olympic gold in the men’s 100-metres.
The American crossed the line in 9.79 seconds, beating Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by just five thousandths of a second at the Stade de France on Sunday (4 August).
In an interview after his win, Lyles told the BBC that he had expected the race to be a close one.
He said: “I have a biomechanist who said ‘it’s going to be close’ and gosh was he right.”
Lyle was then asked: “What was the final word to yourself in those starting blocks?”
