Kishane Thompson relishes silver after being on wrong end of Olympic 100-meter photo finish

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Kishane Thompson let out a scream after crossing the finish line that was fitting of an Olympic 100-meter champion. Because, for a brief moment, he thought maybe he was.

By the slimmest of margins, Thompson was beaten out for gold on a perfectly timed lean from American Noah Lyles on Sunday night. Their times of 9.79 seconds needed to be calculated farther out to determine the winner — with Lyles winning 9.784 to 9.789. Thompson was five-thousandths of a second away from joining the company of fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt as an Olympic champion.

“I’m a bit disappointed,” Thompson said. “But I am happy at the same time. I am going to take it as what it is and move forward from here.”

Someone asked Thompson soon after if he thought the gold medal could be shared, since it was that close of race. It would be a nod to the high jumpers at the Tokyo Games in 2021, when Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Mutaz Barshim of Qatar agreed to split the gold medal.

Somehow, Thompson didn’t think Lyles would go for the idea.

“I think the sport is too competitive, no offense to any other sport,” the 23-year-old Thompson said. “It’s too competitive for us to share a gold medal.”

The race was barely over and Thompson was already replaying the little things that could've made a big difference. Maybe more of a lean. Maybe a bit more patience to let his speed propel him to the finish line.

“I know that Jamaica would have wanted me to get the gold,” he said. “Everybody loves winners.”

Thompson was in Lane 4 in the final and Lyles in Lane 7. He couldn't see Lyles out that far so he wasn't sure precisely where he stood right after the finish. Thompson knew it was close and immediately glanced at the scoreboard for an answer.

He waited. They all waited.

Lyles gave him a glimmer of hope, though.

“I did think Thompson had it at the end,” Lyles said. “I even said, 'Bro, I think you got that one big dog. And then my name popped up, and I’m like, ’Oh my gosh, I’m amazing.’”

Thompson became the first Jamaican to be on the podium in the men's Olympic 100 since Bolt's run of three straight titles in 2008, ’12 and ’16.

“My body language will not show it because I am not an expressive guy, but I am glad,” Thompson said. “I’m super grateful.”

Thompson entered the race with the fastest time of the season and was viewed as the biggest threat to Lyles. It came down to the wire with all eight sprinters separated by a margin of .12 seconds — and even closer for gold and silver.

“That close,” Thompson said. “It was that close.”

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Oblique Seville, of Jamaica, Akani Simbine, of South Africa, Kishane Thompson, of Jamaica, and Fred Kerley, of the United States, react as they cross the finish line in the men's 100 meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. Noah Lyles, of the United States, won, Thompson was second and Kerley third. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Kishane Thompson, of Jamaica, Noah Lyles, of the United States, right, and Fred Kerley, of the United States, left, wait for the official results after finishing the men's 100 meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. Lyles won, Thompson was second and Kerley third. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Kishane Thompson, of Jamaica, and Noah Lyles, of the United States, in the background, wait for the official results after finishing the men's 100 meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. Lyles won, Thompson was second and Kerley third. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Kishane Thompson, of Jamaica, reacts after crossing the finish line in the men's 100 meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. Noah Lyles, of the United States, won, and Thompson was second. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole’s curious decision to intentionally walk Boston’s Rafael Devers with no one on base while working on a no-hit bid led to a three-run fourth inning and an early exit for the New York Yankees ace on Saturday.

Cole allowed seven runs, his most in two years, hit a career-high three batters and left after 4 1/3 innings with the Yankees trailing the Red Sox 7-1 as Devers hit a two-run single in a four-run fifth.

Devers entered 14 for 41 (.316) with eight homers against Cole, including the postseason.

Cole retired eight of his first nine batters, allowing his only batter to reach when he hit Devers with a pitch in the first, and led 1-0 when he walked Devers with one out in the fourth. Nine of Boston’s next 11 batters reached base against the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner.

Devers stole second and Masataka Yoshida hit an opposite-field RBI double into the left-field corner for Boston’s first hit, tying the score 1-1. Wilyer Abreu followed with a two-run single for a 3-1 lead, and Triston Casas bounced into an inning-ending double play.

The earliest previous bases-empty intentional walks by the Yankees both were in the sixth inning: to the Philadelphia Athletics’ Al Simmons by Roy Sherid leading off on Sept. 22, 1930, and to Washington’s Frank Howard by Fritz Peterson with two outs on April 22, 1970.

Trevor Story singled leading off the fifth on Saturday and stole second, Danny Jansen walked and Enmanuel Valdez flied out as Story took third. Jarren Duran was hit by a pitch, loading the bases, and Devers lined a knuckle-curve into right for a 5-1 lead. Tyler O’Neill was hit by a pitch and Yoshida chased Cole with a two-run single.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Yankees' Gerrit Cole throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)