Noah Lyles Accepts Defeat to Kishane Thompson & Co Before Diamond League as Shocking List Surfaces Noah Lyles, the 2024 Olympic 100m champion, has surprisingly slipped from the top 10 100m sprinters in 2025, with Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson taking the lead at 9.75 seconds, as revealed by Track & Field Gazette.

Noah Lyles Accepts Defeat to Kishane Thompson & Co Before Diamond League as Shocking List Surfaces

Noah Lyles, the 2024 Olympic 100m champion, has surprisingly slipped from the top 10 100m sprinters in 2025, with Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson taking the lead at 9.75 seconds, as revealed by Track & Field Gazette.

 

In a surprising twist just weeks before the final stretch of the 2025 Diamond League season, reigning Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles has dropped out of the top 10 fastest sprinters this year, as revealed in the latest global rankings released by Track & Field Gazette. Leading the pack is Jamaica’s rising star, Kishane Thompson, who has stunned the athletics world with a blistering 9.75-second performance — the fastest time recorded in the 2025 season so far.

Lyles, who captured Olympic gold in Paris in 2024 with a time of 9.80 seconds, has struggled to replicate that explosive form throughout the current season. His season-best of 10.01 seconds now places him outside the top 10, marking a dramatic shift in the sprinting landscape and prompting speculation about his readiness ahead of the Diamond League finals and the upcoming World Championships.

The Track & Field Gazette list, compiled from IAAF-certified race results, includes a heavy Jamaican presence in the top ranks. Thompson, the 23-year-old sensation, leads the field, followed closely by Oblique Seville (9.78) and Ackeem Blake (9.80), signaling a resurgent wave of Jamaican sprint dominance not seen since the Usain Bolt era.

For Lyles, the recent data has been humbling. In a candid interview following the release of the list, he acknowledged the gap and praised the performances of his rivals:

“I’m not where I want to be right now, and that’s clear. These guys are running out of their minds. Credit to Kishane and the rest — they’re pushing the sport forward, and I respect that. But the season’s not over yet.”

Lyles, 28, has never been one to shy away from competition or criticism. Known for his confident personality and fierce competitive spirit, he has consistently used setbacks as fuel. His camp insists that the focus remains on peaking at the right time, with his training geared toward the Diamond League finals in Eugene and the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Kishane Thompson, meanwhile, has quickly become the man to beat. His 9.75s run at the Jamaican National Trials not only secured his spot for major international events but also announced his arrival as a true global contender. Analysts point to his smooth start and top-end speed as key elements of his rise — reminiscent, some say, of a young Bolt.

The emergence of Thompson and his countrymen has also reignited the classic USA vs. Jamaica sprint rivalry. American stars like Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley remain competitive, but none have yet matched the Jamaican trio’s top-end speed this year. With the Diamond League finale looming, all eyes will be on whether Lyles can mount a late-season comeback or whether the new generation will officially take the throne.

For now, Noah Lyles finds himself in unfamiliar territory — chasing, rather than leading. But if history is any guide, the story of the 2025 season may be far from over.