Usain Bolt is arguably the greatest Sprint Champion of all time and inspired a lot of people to keep watching the Olympics.

As a sports lover and Bolt fan, I watched the just concluded Olympics in Paris, France.

There were so many competitions to watch and follow, but I keenly followed the races and sprinters of the 100 meters Athletics with so much interest compared to the others.

I watched the finals of both Men and Women races and there were interesting results that determined the new Sprint Champions.

The Women’s 100 Meters Dash

In the Women’s 100m, there were 2 clear favorites to win the gold medal before the event began.

The first favorite was Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who was already a two-time Olympic champion and easily qualified for the semifinals of the competition.

Yet, before the semifinals, Olympics officials said Shelly-Ann had suffered an undisclosed injury and won’t be able to run or qualify for the final race

This meant the second favorite – Sha’Carri Richardson now had a golden opportunity (pun intended) to win the competition.

Surprisingly, Sha’Carri the American world champion took second both in the semifinal and the final. She lost the gold to a sprinter from the small island of St. Lucia.

The champion’s name was Julien Alfred.

During the post-race press conference, Julien said something which got my attention.

“This morning I woke up and wrote it down, ‘Julien Alfred, Olympic champion.’ So I think believing in myself really was important.”

The new Women's Sprint Champion - Julien Alfred

The new Women’s Sprint Champion – Julien Alfred

The Men’s 100 Meters Dash

For the Men’s edition, there was only one name in the lips of everybody following the competition.

Noah Lyles.

His on-track performances are good. His off-track flair and charisma were better.

Before the event, a lot of people were annoyed by Noah’s playful behavior. His constant showboating irritated others. He also engaged in brash trash talk and these actions fueled the growing resentment.

Noah Lyles sees himself as the new superstar of men’s athletics and he never fails to say this to any interviewer or fellow athletes.

Because of this, some people wanted him to lose this 100m final. After all, Noah is prideful, and pride always goes before a fall.

Others wanted Noah to win. Since he has always backed up in the talk in the past. To these people, Noah is the new Bolt. The future Sprint Champion.

The Men’s 100m sprint final came, and it was the tightest 100m final in global racing history — not just at the Olympics, but anywhere.

When the race began, Lyles was in last place after 40 meters. But after 90 meters he picked up speed and trailed the first person by .01 seconds.

Noah Lyles crossed the finish line just five thousandths of a second ahead of Thompson, who posted a time of 9.789.

Like Julien, the new Olympic champion for men’s 100m sprint also said something that confirmed their winning mentality.

“America, I told you; I got this,” Noah Lyles shouted in celebration after the race results were confirmed.

The new Men's Sprint Champion - Noah Lyles

The new Men’s Sprint Champion – Noah Lyles

What does it take to be at the Top?

The quest for Olympic gold is one of the greatest dramas in all of sports.

It all boils down to this one fleeting moment after a lifetime of hard work, perseverance, tears, high fives, and early morning alarm clocks.

When milliseconds, meters and muscle matter most, there is no margin for error.

Aside from genetics, there are many things that we can learn from Olympians to help us reach our own personal best at work and play.

Being an Olympian is a full-time job. The job description is basically train, eat, sleep, repeat.

In addition to all this, I believe this was how Noah and Julien did it.

Confidence. Confidence. Confidence.

This is a feeling of self-assurance and belief in your abilities. Confidence is trust in yourself and your qualities or skills.

Being confident is the state of being certain about something.

It’s important to note that confidence is different from arrogance.

Healthy confidence involves a realistic assessment of your abilities, while also acknowledging areas for improvement.

The Sprint Champion vs Other Runners

You are one or the other.

But I’m not asking you to hate the champions.

Oh no. Learn from them.

After all, life is a race. These sprint champions – Noah Lyles and Julien Alfred are simply running theirs. Literally and metaphorically.

The other runners had to simply cheer and count their losses afterwards.

Now I’m asking you to be a champion yourself by trusting in yourself and your abilities.

Leave the other runners.

Become a champion.

Then maybe you too will be the top of your field… and the other runners will celebrate you as the Gold Medalist.