It was a photo finish in the much-anticipated men’s 100-meter race at the 2024 Olympics. The historic race ended with American star Noah Lyles, now the fastest man in the world, finishing ahead of Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by the slightest margin to take gold. More than 80,000 people who went to watch the race at Stade de France, along with millions of people watching around the world, waited anxiously as officials reviewed the replay to confirm who won the race.

Although Thompson initially appeared to win the race, the Olympic rules state that it’s not the head, limbs or feet that count when crossing the finish line. Rather, it’s the first athlete who can get his torso ahead of the line that wins the race, NBC News reported.

When it was confirmed that Lyles finished with a personal-best 9.79 seconds, five-thousandths of a second ahead of Thompson, the American star approached one of the TV cameras and delivered a strong message.

“America, I told you. I got this,” he said to the cameras.

Lyles has indeed been telling the world that he is the one to watch.

“I thrive off big moments. The bigger the moment, the faster I run,” Lyles said  at the U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this year, per Yahoo Sports.

The 27-year-old star has now secured his first Olympic gold medal. It’s also the first gold medal for USA in the men’s 100m in 20 years.

Three years ago Lyles failed to qualify for the 100-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics. He was also disappointed with the bronze medal he won in the 200-meter sprint, that disappointment adding to his motivation for this year.

“I’ll be like, ‘Yeah, I think I’m doing enough. Then I turn around and look at the medal — ‘All right, back to work,’” Lyles said, per Yahoo Sports.

His American teammate, Fred Kerley, took home bronze, marking the first time in 20 years two Americans have been together on the podium for the 100m.

Lyles still has work to do before he leaves Paris. The 27-year-old will compete in the first round the 200-meter race on Monday and also has the Men’s 4x100m relay.

2024 olympicsNoah LylesParis Olympics