Not even a track invader could stop Noah Lyles from winning his first Olympic gold in Paris, when an unidentified man was detained just before the men’s 100m final.
The individual, who appeared to be wearing a T-shirt bearing the phrase “Free Palestine”, was reportedly stopped by security as he tried to reach the track at the Stade de France.
According MirrorThe man was knocked down before he could reach the racing surface, where Lyles won gold shortly after.
After the race, which was delayed a bit, gold medalist Lyles said: “Is this what we were waiting for?
‘I didn’t see anyone trying to get onto the field. But I’m not going to lie, I was wondering what we were waiting for.
Noah Lyles’ 100m final victory could not have taken place if it weren’t for pre-race safety
The 27-year-old American narrowly edged out Jamaican Kishane Thompson to win his first gold.
‘Meanwhile, the crowd was getting more and more excited. It didn’t seem like he was completely dead.’
Some viewers were puzzled by NBC’s long commercial break before the start of the race.
Sunday’s track invasion was not the first time fans have threatened to disrupt Olympic events since the Paris Games began on July 26.
During soccer matches elsewhere in France, pitch invaders stormed the field while the United States faced Guinea and Ukraine played Argentina.
Security personnel also had to detain a protester holding a Palestinian flag during a football match between Morocco and Iraq.
Several dozen riot police were deployed around the camp to prevent further incidents.
There were also interruptions during Argentina-Morocco, when fans ran onto the pitch and threw bottles.
Sunday’s incident was not the first time disruption has occurred at the Olympics, with some of them occurring during various soccer matches, including the United States’ against Guinea (pictured).
An invading pitcher also stormed the pitch during Ukraine-Argentina on July 30 in Lyon.
A pitch invader holding a Palestinian flag was arrested during the Morocco-Ira match on July 30.
There were also security breaches during Euro 2024, such as during the semi-final between Spain and France.
Cristiano Ronaldo was accosted by six pitch invaders during Portugal’s win over Türkiye
The match had to be suspended for approximately two hours with just a few minutes remaining.
Euro 2024 in Germany was marred by pitch invaders earlier this summer, when a fan ran onto the pitch to greet Kylian Mbappé during the semi-final match between France and Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo even posed for a selfie during Portugal’s group stage win over Turkey.
The star striker was approached by six fans who wanted to take selfies during the match.