Noah Lyles and Marcell Jacobs cautiously began their 100-specific challenge

The American Noah Lylescurrent world champion in the 100 meter dash, and the Italian Marcel JacobsOlympic champion in Tokyo, They began their participation in the Paris Games this Saturday in the first qualifying roundwhere five athletes were under ten seconds.

Lyles, 27, is the fastest man in the world. At the last World Outdoor Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023, he won gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, and at the Paris Olympic Games his aim is to repeat the triplet.

The first step to achieve this is to overcome the stages. In the first round, framed in the third series, He did not invest much effort and finished second with a time of 10.04.

“Today I really downplayed my competitors but tomorrow will be different (in the semi-finals and final). The last time I was at the Olympic Games, I didn’t feel very happy. This time, I was very happy, there were many emotions. “It’s an amazing crowd and I’m ready to perform in front of them,” said Lyles, after the race at the Stade de France, where he was applauded by the public who attended the morning session.

Marcell Jacobs also finished second in his series, hoping to eclipse Lyles on the track.. In his debut in Paris he stopped the clock at 10.05 behind the Nigerian Kayinsola Ajayi (10.02):

One of the stars of this first round is Jamaican Kishane Thompson, who, at 23 years old, is one of the most promising sprinters on the current scene and won his heat with 10.00.

In this first round of qualification, in which 72 athletes participated, the fastest were five men under ten seconds: the Americans Kenneth Bednarek and Fred Kerley (both 9.97), the British Louie Hinchliffe (9.98 ), the Ivorian Emmanuel Esame ( 9.98) and the Jamaican Oblique Seville (9.99).