Noah Lyles' Epic 100m Win: The Unseen Photo Finish Drama Explained

In an electrifying 100-meter race, Noah Lyles clinched victory by an almost imperceptible margin of just 0.005 seconds. The race had everyone on the edge of their seats, with both Lyles and fellow sprinter Cain Thompson clocking an official time of 9.79 seconds. Initially, the announcer declared Thompson the winner, but the final results revealed a different story.

The secret behind this razor-thin finish lies in the cutting-edge technology used at the Olympics. Omega, the official timekeeper, employs a Finish Line camera that operates at an astonishing 40,000 frames per second. Contrary to a typical camera, this one scans a single vertical slice of the finish line. This unique method captures the exact moment each athlete's body part crosses the line.

The resulting photo finish image differs from a standard snapshot. It doesn't capture a single moment in time but rather displays the position of each runner at the precise moment they crossed the finish line. These vertical slices are then arranged horizontally by their time code, allowing operators to accurately mark the athletes' chests with a red line for precise timing.

The ground appearing white in the image is due to the camera exclusively focusing on the finish line. Surprisingly, the logos visible in the photo come from a billboard that only this specialized camera can read.

Noah Lyles' victory, determined by such a minuscule margin, underscores the incredible precision of modern sports technology. Witness the thrilling race and delve into the fascinating world of photo finish technology by watching the full video.