"Kishane Thompson could have won the gold medal"- Asafa Powell slams delay during the 100m finals at the Paris Olympics

By Adityan Pillai

Modified Aug 07, 2024 10:21 GMT

Former world record holder Asafa Powell spoke about Kishane Thompson's performance in the men's 100m final at the Paris Olympics. The former Jamaican athlete claimed that Thompson could have won the gold medal in the event had there not been any delays in the commencement of the race.

Kishane Thompson won the silver medal in the men's 100m after clocking 9.789s in his debut Olympic appearance in Paris. The Jamaican athlete lost the top spot to Noah Lyles, who clinched the victory in a photo finish with a time of 9.784s.

Asafa Powell spoke about the race and slammed the delay in the commencement of the race. He claimed that it might have had a profound impact on Thompson's performance (via "TvjNewscentre" on X):

"If the circumstances were different then and maybe if they did not play the music for so long, you know because I think when he got out there he was ready, and then the music came and they sat back a bit. You know, it was like the energy kind of went down. So maybe if the music wasn't playing then he maybe a lot more ready, a lot more alert to get onto the starting blocks," Powell said [at 0:20]

"That is just my point of view. He could have won the gold medal, he could have run below 9.77 for sure, but you know, maybe another time," he added.

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Kishane Thompson on the photo finish in the 100m finals

Kishane Thompson - Athletics - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 9 - Source: Getty

Kishane Thompson spoke about the photo finish with Noah Lyles at the Paris Olympics in a post-race interview. The Jamaican athlete revealed that he did not see Lyles pulling in from the back, as they were both separated by multiple lanes.

"It was really a close race. I couldn't really see Noah based on the lane that we were in, I saw that I cleared who is to my near left and near right, but I couldn't see him (Lyles). It was that close. When we both crossed the line, he came to me and he said 'Hey man, I think you got it,' but I wasn't really sure, because it was that close," he remarked.

Although the Jamaican team has yet to release the official list of the participating athletes for the 4x100m relay, Kishane Thompson is expected to be a part of the Jamaican contingent for the event. Team Jamaica will face tough competition from Team USA for the ultimate Olympic relay crown.