Usain Bolt's simple Olympic post speaks volumes after Noah Lyles' disappointment

Noah Lyles won the Olympic 100m title earlier this month, narrowly defeating Kishane Thompson, but Usain Bolt does not believe the American can compare to his own greatness

The exhilarating 100m race has once again gripped the sports world this summer, with American sprinter Noah Lyles clinching Olympic gold, narrowly beating Jamaica's Kishane Thompson by a mere five-thousandths of a second.

Usain Bolt, widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time, seized this moment to remind everyone of his past glory. He posted two photos from his double victory at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with the caption "1 of 1", implying that he doesn't believe Lyles or any other current athletes can compare.

Bolt won the hearts of global audiences 16 years ago in Beijing with one of the most extraordinary 100m performances ever seen, crossing the finish line in 9.69 seconds. He beat runner-up Richard Thompson by a commanding .2 seconds and broke his own world record. However, Bolt noticeably slowed down to thump his chest in celebration, leading the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo to predict that the Jamaican superstar could have run a sub-9.60 if he had maintained his original pace.

Bolt outdid his legendary performance four years later in London, sweeping the 100m competition in 9.62 seconds. He became the first man to successfully defend his sprint title since Carl Lewis and then uttered his famous boastful line, "I'm now a legend. I'm also the greatest athlete to live".

The towering 6'5 star competed in his final Olympics in 2016, effortlessly securing first place with a 9.81-second finish, setting a seemingly unbeatable standard for the Summer Games. On each occasion, he reinforced his 100m gold with victories in the 200m, completing multiple sprint doubles which Lyles aspired to replicate.

Lyles also mirrors Bolt's confident persona, frequently referring to himself as the "fastest man in the world," and appeared poised to start eroding Bolt's accomplishments.

"I try to be a showman - some people criticise me for it, some people love it," Lyles revealed to Sky Sports about his self-assured approach. "They're watching because they want to see who's going to be the fastest. And that's what I want to bring. I want to bring entertainment to it. I know that just because I win it doesn't mean that I'll gain fans. I need to keep going. I want track and field to be known for, not just it's a fast race. I want you to enjoy the whole spectacle of it, the entertainment part of it."

Lyles won the 100m event by just .005 seconds

Following his narrow 100m victory, Lyles found himself a strong favourite to win the 200m event and become the first athlete since Bolt, and the first American since Lewis, to complete the "sprint double."

Bolt was similarly dominant in the 200m, breaking a 12-year world record in Beijing and shattering his own mark a year later at the World Athletic Championships, which has not been surpassed to date.

Lyles ended up securing third place in the 200m event in Paris, revealing post-race that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and consequently choosing to pull out of the 4x100 relay later in the Games