Not even a track cyclist could stop Noah Lyles from winning his first Olympic gold in Paris. Reports say an unidentified man was pulled over just before the men’s 100m final.
It is alleged the man, who was wearing a T-shirt reading ‘Free Palestine’, was stopped by security as he tried to enter the racecourse at the Stade de France.
According to The mirrorthe man was tackled before he could get onto the track, where Lyles won gold shortly after.
After the race, which was a little late, gold medalist Lyles said, “Was this what we were waiting for?
‘I didn’t see anyone come onto the field. But I won’t lie, I wondered what we were waiting for.
Noah Lyles’ victory in the 100M final could not have happened if there had been no security for the race
The 27-year-old American narrowly defeated Jamaican Kishane Thompson to win his first gold medal
‘Meanwhile, the audience was getting more and more enthusiastic. It didn’t feel like it was completely dead.’
Some viewers found NBC’s long commercial break before the start of the race confusing.
The attack on the track on Sunday was not the first time fans have threatened to disrupt Olympic events since the Paris Games began on July 26.
During football matches in other parts of France, invaders stormed the pitch as the United States played Guinea and Ukraine played Argentina.
Security personnel also had to stop a protester who held up a Palestinian flag during a football match between Morocco and Iraq.
Several dozen riot police officers were then deployed along the field to prevent further incidents.
There were also interruptions during the Argentina-Morocco match as fans ran onto the pitch and threw bottles.
Sunday’s track invasion was not the first time a stoppage has occurred at the Olympics, as a number of stoppages have occurred during several soccer matches, including the USA-Guinea (pictured)
A pitcher-invader also stormed the field during the Ukraine-Argentina game on July 30 in Lyon
A rioter holding a Palestinian flag was captured on July 30 during the Morocco-Iraq war
Security breaches also occurred during Euro 2024, such as in the semi-final between Spain and France
Cristiano Ronaldo was approached by six substitutes during Portugal’s win over Turkey
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The match was stopped for about two hours with only a few minutes left to play.
Euro 2024 in Germany was marred by pitch intruders earlier this summer, when a fan ran onto the field to greet Kylian Mbappe during the semi-final between France and Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo even posed for a selfie during Portugal’s group stage win over Turkey.
The star player was approached by six supporters during the match who were looking for a selfie.