One of Best Men's 100m Finals EVER; USA Back On Gold Medal Track (Olympics Day 12 Preview)

Uh oh, the United States woke up on Saturday!

UPDATED AS OF 12:00 AM EST ON AUGUST 4th

After I chronicled the disappointment that was the United States in the pool yesterday, Team USA found a way to pick up the slack on Saturday. They won 5 Gold Medals, and also did this…

The most medals in a single day for Team USA in 36 years when they cleaned up at Seoul 1988. It will be a cruise to the Overall Medal Count for Team USA, but now they are also in decent shape in the Gold Medal Count. Thanks to a big day, they are now TWO Gold Medals ahead of pace from Tokyo 2020, and have 10 solid chances to bring in Gold on Sunday. The day could've been even crazier had they not lost a lead in the Mixed 4x400m Relay on the track (worth noting Team USA doesn't put their best athletes in that race unlike other countries), and if Sha'Carri Richardson had pulled through in the Women's 100m (no disrespect to her, though, Julien Alfred was unstoppable today). Regardless, the United States is in great shape.

Let's look ahead to Day 12…

THE GREATEST 100m OF ALL-TIME?

Anadolu. Getty Images.

I think the single greatest sporting event you can attend, and the greatest sporting event ran in the world, is the Men's 100m at the Olympic Games. It produces countless moments of awe, madness, and amazingness.

It's dead silent. You can hear a pin drop in the arena. Then, the gun goes off, and it is an explosion of sound. It's nearly indescribable and something you have to experience to truly understand. I was lucky enough to see Usain Bolt win the 100m at London 2012, and snap this awesome picture…

Fucking incredible. I'll never forget it. Anyway, enough about my bullshit, and let's talk about the field for the Men's 100m Final.

It's worth noting that there will be Semi-Finals around 2:05|1:05c in the afternoon, but let's just assume the favorites make it through.

KISHANE THOMPSON (JAM): The new favorite in the 100m is Kishane Thompson, who beat Noah Lyles in Heats on Saturday, and has looked fast as shit dating back to the Jamaican Olympic Trials. He looked really fucking good and I will not pretend I am not worried about the American's chances. The lowest Season Best belongs to Thompson, and he is probably the smart choice to win as of right now.

NOAH LYLES (USA): The reigning World Champion, much like Sha'Carri Richardson, Lyles was electric at the U.S. Track & Field Trials and has been assumed as the favorite heading into the games. But now he enters Sunday as a bit of an underdog, but the difference between him and Thompson should be considered small as hell. I think he has what it takes to step up and become the first American since Justin Gatlin at Athens 2004 to take the Men's 100m. It's just a matter of whether or not he does or has the same fate as Sha'Carri Richardson who ended up going from World Championship Gold to Olympic Silver.

OBLIQUE SEVILLE (JAM): A hair behind Noah Lyles for the third best time this season out of the men in the 100m Semi-Finals, Oblique, like any Jamaican sprinter, shouldn't be counted out going into the race. I actually think Seville, and the next three sprinters are all being a hair overlooked.

FRED KERLEY (USA): Why should you not count out Kerley? Because out of the first four names listed here, only one of them has won a medal in the Men's 100m: Fred Kerley. He won Silver at Tokyo 2020, and then a World Championship Gold in 2022. Kerley is a seasoned vet, and the moment won't be too big for him, especially considering nobody thinks he will win.

KUNG-FU KENNY BEDNAREK (USA): I would actually have Kung-Fu Kenny just behind Noah Lyles in terms of who I think will win this race in Paris. He ran really well at the U.S. Track & Field Trials and, like Kerley, goes in with much lower expectations than both Thompson & Lyles. He said he wants thinks he is going to eventually take down Lyles, and while the 200m seems more likely, who says it can't be Sunday?

LETSILE TEBOGO (BOT): Prior to the U.S. Track & Field Trials, I would've picked Tebogo to take the Men's 100m. Runner-up to Noah Lyles at the World Championship, Tebogo, the World Junior World Record holder, is blazing fast, and much better than the respect he's getting prior to the race.

LAMONT MARCELL JACOBS (ITA): Hey, this is the guy who won Gold at Tokyo 2020! A weaker field, especially coming off the heels of Usain Bolt's three Olympics of dominance, Jacobs shocked the world and took home 100m Gold three years ago. Do I think he will win? No, I don't think he even ends up on the podium, but to not mention him here would be a disservice. Unlike everyone on this list, Jacobs knows how to win Olympic Gold in the 100m, so he certainly needs to be factored into the race.

ANDRE DE GRASSE (CAN): The winningest Olympian on this list (6 Olympic Medals), De Grasse was the one who replaced Usain Bolt in the 200m, winning Gold in the event at Tokyo 2020. I am a huge De Grasse fan. The man is a beast, and always finds his way around the favorites in these races. He hasn't won a major individual medal since the Tokyo Games, but, again, it's a guy who does know how to win.

LOUIE HINCHCLIFFE (GBR): I almost forgot to add Hinchcliffe, who has beat Noah Lyles in a race. He had great runs in the Heats, and can keep pace with the big guys. It means nothing for the 100m, but he runs for the University of Houston.

This field is fucking stacked with great storylines and fast sprinters. I'll give the 100m Eve edge to Thompson, but let's see how Lyles runs in the Semi-Finals as he definitely backed off against Thompson in the Heats on Saturday. The finals for this race will start at 3:50|4:50c, and we haven't had a full crowd for a Men's 100m at the Olympics in eight years. I cannot fucking wait.

BACK-TO-BACK FOR SCHAUFFELE?

Xander Schauffele is tied for the lead right now in Paris along with Jon Rahm, and by the time this blog posts, the Final Round will be nearing its close. Can Schauffele wrap up back-to-back Gold Medals? Doing so would also pair sad Gold up with his Open & PGA Championship from this season. I know we don't totally value Olympic Gold yet in golf, but holy shit what a season that would be.

The leaderboard is loaded outside of Schauffele and Rahm, with Tommy Fleetwood, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim, Jason Day, and Joaquin Niemann all within striking distance. Oh, and so is Scott Scheffler, who sits just four shots back. That wouldn't be terrifying to have behind you or anything…

CAELEB DRESSEL GOES FOR HISTORY

Despite a difficult individual Olympics for Caeleb Dressel, he's added two Relay Gold Medals and now finds himself behind only Michael Phelps for the most Gold Medals of all-time. He is tied, however, with a few other people, and Sunday afternoon will present him an opportunity to sit alone in second with 10 Gold Medals.

The Men's 4x100m Medley Relay will take place on Sunday and this is an event the Americans have dominated in every single Olympics they've ever attended. Since 1960, Team USA is 15-0 in the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay, only not winning in 1980 when the country boycotted the games. China and France (hello Leon Marchand) are going to have something to say about it, but the Americans are the favorites, which would indeed make history for Dressel.

Other Swimming finals will also feature Americans with a shot at Gold: Women's 4x100m Medley Relay where the Americans are heavy favorites (Australia has won Gold in three out of the last five Olympics), Gretchen Walsh in the Women's 50m Freestyle (she is a MASSIVE underdog to win Gold, but likely to win a medal), and Bobby Finke in the Men's 1500m Freestyle (he won Gold in this at Tokyo 2020, but is not the favorite; Daniel Wiffen of Ireland, who beat Bobby in his 800m Gold defense, is favored). The Americans would need to sweep all four events in order to win double digit Gold Medals, but with three or less, they'll fail to hit that double digit mark for the first time since the Seoul 1988 Olympics. If all goes well, though, they should surpass Australia for most Gold Medals in the pool at Paris 2024.

TWO MEN, SEVEN GOLD MEDALS

Let's give it up for these two guys: Ryan Crouser and Vincent Hancock.

For Crouser, he caps off an insane run of three straight Olympic Gold Medals, and becomes the first man to ever win three Shot Put Gold Medals. He is essentially the real life version of the Hulk, and overcame injury to return to the Olympics and make history. He also beat out American Joe Kovacs for the third straight Olympics.

Talk about a consistency in dominance.

The other man, Vincent Hancock, grabbed his fourth all-time Gold Medal as he ripped his way to another Men's Skeet victory. His Gold at Paris 2024 is added to the ones he won in 2008, 2012, & 2020. 

Only six American men have ever one four individual Gold Medals in the same event? Yeah, this qualifies as an Olympics legend. What a run.

OTHER NOTABLE EVENTS

• Basketball: Team USA has the Women taking on Germany in their final group stage game. They took on Germany in an exhibition a few weeks ago, and have to beat them again in order to take the group and the #1 seed in the draw for the knockout round. The women losing tomorrow would obviously be shocking to levels you can't comprehend. 
• 3x3 Basketball: The 3x3 team for the Team USA Women were incredible the last few days, going from 0-3 to 4-3, then winning a Play-In Game to make the Semi-Finals in the knockout round. Can the men's team do the same? Jimmer and co. are in a win-and-in scenario after moving to 2-4, following an 0-4 start to the tournament. Canyon Barry, son of Rick, has been unreal, and they'll take on the Netherlands for a chance to move into the Play-In Game themselves.
• Beach Volleyball: All four American teams advanced to the knockout stage of Beach Volleyball, and the first time in action will be Hughes & Cheng on the women's side, as they take on the Italians Gottardi & Menegatti at 4:00|3:00c on Sunday afternoon. They were undefeated in group play, and have a real shot at reaching the medal matches.
• Fencing: It'll be a bit of a long shot, especially compared to the women's team that won Gold, but the Men's Foil Fencing Team will start their run int the team competition. They open things up early Sunday against Egypt, and then will try and work their way through the bracket.
• Archery: American archery legend Brady Ellison has four Olympic Medals, all of them Silver & Bronze, but he does find himself in the Round of 16. Out of the all the people I want to see win Gold today, Ellison might be the one I want to see atop the podium the most. He's an incredible archer, and deserves to finish at the top in the Olympic Games.
• Gymnastics: The only Team USA Gymnast in an individual competition on Sunday is Suni Lee in the Uneven Bars. She won Bronze in the event at Tokyo 2020, and a great routine would mean she has a legit shot to take the Gold Medal.
• Shooting: After going Gold & Silver in Men's Skeet, Team USA is looking to go back-to-back in Women's Skeet, as Austen Jewell Smith & Dania Jo Vizzi look to up the medal count for the country.
• Tennis: It's not an American matchup but do I have to say anything more than this: Novak Djokovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz. The Men's Singles wraps up with the Gold Medal match from Roland-Garros, where the two have won a combined four French Opens.

---

That's all for now. Go Team USA. See you tomorrow.