Noah Lyles’ outdoor winning streak of three races finally came to an end in Paris, and it came at the hands of a familiar rival. The men’s 100m at the Diamond League showcased an exciting and close race between but in lane 8, Trayvon Bromell produced run to take victory in 9.91 seconds.

Noah Lyles, the reigning Olympic champion, could not find his smoothest start and lost a small bit of rhythm in the first phase. That slight delay made him finish second in 9.92, while Marcell Jacobs took third in 9.96, with just 0.01 seconds separating the top two.

After the race, Bromell sounded satisfied with how he executed his run:

“I really liked my start, I pushed through it. I didn’t let the race get in my head. I know I still have more in the tank, and the data from my biomechanics makes me excited for the rest of the season. In Eugene, I will go all out. After that, I will take a short break to wait for my son to come into this world. I just love competing, and having strong rivals around me brings the best out of me.”

But also, Lyles point out his mistake. “I’m good. The feeling at the start was not what I expected.” Even in defeat, his 9.92 showed he was still in strong sprint form.

Just days after his impressive run at the Golden Spike in Ostrava, where he clocked a 14.67 in the 150m. Lyles looked ready to dominate again at the Paris Diamond League. But things clearly did not go his way. Earlier in the season, Lyles had already shown sharp speed over 100m. In Tokyo, he won the SEIKO Golden Grand Prix in 9.95 at the National Stadium. A few weeks later, on June 4 2026 in Rome, he won at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in 9.88, his season best and one of his fastest runs of the year.

However, this result carried extra weight because this was not their first close battle. Back in 2021 at the Oregon Relays on April 24, Bromell had already beaten Lyles in the 100m, running 10.01 compared to Lyles’ 10.04. Years later, the rivalry has only grown tighter.

Their indoor meetings have also been two-way. In the 60m event, Lyles beat Bromell by a mere 0.002 seconds at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston 2023, finishing in 6.51. Again, it was Lyles who finished in front, in 6.52, at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix 2025, Bromell taking 5th place at 6.64.

However, the 2026 indoor season was another battle won by Bromell. Lyles was followed by Jordan Anthony’s 6.45 in the 60m when he finished second in 6.47 behind Anthony at the USATF Indoor Championships 2026.

Paris threw in another counterpoint; Bromell played it off Lyles again in the most convincing manner possible. The incident at the photo finish took the focus but in the same race there was another disappointment that could not be ignored.

Pre-race hope turns into disappointment for Omanyala in Paris

Just days before the meet, Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, desired to challenge Lyles Paris DL.

“I am glad we are going to do a rematch in Paris because in Rome I had hitches at the blocks and didn’t really come out at 100 per cent,” he said. “I am looking forward to seeing how it’s going to be.”

Coming into the race, the signs looked better for the Kenyan sprinter. At the Kenyan National Championships, which also doubled as trials for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Omanyala had retained his national title with a time of 10.00 seconds, securing his place on Team Kenya.

But in Paris, the outcome was far from what he hoped for. He finished sixth in 10.02, unable to break into the leading group in a deep and fast field. Even beyond Paris, the head-to-head story between the top names has not gone his way.

Lyles has been dominant in Omanyala’s sprint battles at all of their big games. One of their closest races was at the 2023 Diamond League 100m in Paris, where Lyles clocked 9.97 to Omanyala’s 9.98.

Lyles once more proved to be the victor in another big match at the Atlanta City Games 2023; her time for the event was 14.56m against Omanyala’s 14.89m. Their competition has developed a definite trend, as Lyles has posted wins in all of their key matchups. Now, Paris 2026 just added another one to the tale!