Five Ring Circus

After years of work (and almost that much trash talk), Noah Lyles won the Men’s 100m by a nose. Actually, by a torso. One of the biggest Olympics events was also one of the closest. Lyles grabbed first place ahead of Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by .005 seconds. How Lyles’ torso decided greatest Olympics 100m final. And here’s a photo breakdown of Noah Lyles’ 100m win.

+ “Noah Lyles and his long-time sports psychologist, Diana McNab, have been executing a pre-race routine all season long. Together, they come up with a sort of script, which lays out the psychological game plan on race day—from what Lyles should think when he wakes up, when he arrives at the track, when he’s warming up, when he’s in the blocks, and so on. This mental script is meant to produce strong physical results. As per their practice, McNab got on the phone with Lyles the night before his 100-m race in Paris, and rang her Zen chimes three times while Lyles did breathing exercise.” The Inside Story of How Noah Lyles Pulled off That Incredible 100-M Win.

+ If you don’t want to know who won the floor exercise, don’t click. If you know who won and want to see an absolutely epic photo from the medal ceremony, here it is.

+ “When I take everything in consideration, this probably is the biggest sporting success I’ve ever had in my career.” Uh, this seems like a pretty big statement when the person making it is Novak Djokovic.

+ “They obsess over the physics of lateral velocity, rotational radius and acceleration paths. The biomechanically optimal angle of release — 36 degrees? 38 degrees? — can be a topic for debate.” How a ‘light bulb moment’ in an Arkansas barn made Ryan Crouser a shot put juggernaut. (Well, when you put it that way…)

+ The pole vault competition turned out to be the battle of the bulge. And the bulge lost. (Yes, it’s possible to lose but still have the most impressive member of any team.)