Noah Lyles breaks 26-year-old U.S. record to win 200m world title
Noah Lyles became the world champion in the 200 meters on Thursday night and took down one of the longest standing American track and field records in the process.
Lyles, 25, finished his sprint in 19.31 seconds — one hundredth of a second faster than Michael Johnson's then-world record of 19.32 seconds in the 1996 Summer Olympics. Only Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt (19.19) and Yohan Blake (19.26) have ever run faster in the event.
"I was very self-concerned about whether that number was going to turn from a 'two' to a 'one,'" Lyles said, via ESPN, after the scoreboard initially showed his time at 19.32.
"I didn't want to see '32,' I didn't want to share a record. Nobody wants to share a record. I think even Michael Johnson doesn't want to share a record. So I was just begging it to change."
American runners swept the event with Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton finishing second and third, respectively. On Saturday, the United States also swept the 100 meters at the world championship.
Lyles earned the bronze medal in the 200 meters at the 2020 Olympics, finishing with a time of 19.74. Bednarek earned silver with Canada's Andre De Grasse winning gold. Last week, De Grasse withdrew from the 200 meters at the world championships after effects from a previous case of COVID-19 caused him to struggle in the 100 meters.
More must-reads: