All eyes will be on the USATF NYC Grand Prix on June 9th with Noah Lyles competing in the 200-meter sprint. The six-time world champion will run his season opener in the category, and there is a lot of excitement surrounding it because of his bold words about challenging Usain Bolt’s world record this Olympic season.
While the 200-meter grid will provide ample competition for the track world, Lyles’ performance will either make or break the hearts of American supporters waiting for the track star’s accolades.
However, as we wait for the sprint, here’s what the athlete achieved in his 200-meter events during the 2023 season:
Noah Lyles’ season opener at the Tom Jones Memorial
Lyles was the focus of attention heading into his 2023 200-meter season debut since he broke Michael Johnson’s American record with a stunning 19.31 in Eugene the previous year.
The athlete was supposed to run a fast time, but the conditions dictated otherwise. Despite a strong 1.2 headwind, the American track star ran a 20.16 at the Tom Jones Memorial, which was enough to clinch first place.
Securing a world lead at the Racers Grand Prix
The Racers Grand Prix at Jamaica’s National Stadium greeted Lyles with a big cheer; however, the 200-meter sprint was going to be difficult because he was up against a competitive grid that included Zharnel Hughes. The camera focused on the six-time world champion, who posed as if he were trying to amp up his abilities like Goku, an anime character he adores.
When the race began, the American athlete took a commanding lead from the grid and charged ahead as soon as he reached the halfway point of the sprint. While Hughes attempted to overtake him, Lyles’ pace remained unrivaled, as he ran a stunning 19.67 to secure a sweet world lead in the early outdoor season.
Maintaining the 200-meter winning run
Following the Jamaican competition, Noah Lyles returned to American soil to run in the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix. The Icahn Stadium in New York was packed with track fans eager to see the American perform to his full potential.
He took the world lead in his last race, so expectations were high for the six-time world champion. Despite having a 0.8 tailwind, the track star only managed to finish first with a time of 19.83 seconds, although well in front of the second-place finisher.
Lyles’ first Diamond League race
The London Diamond League was Lyles’ first Diamond League event of the season, and he was excited because of the buzz. The event also provided him with an opportunity to distinguish himself in Europe, as the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, were just a month later.
Despite all of the expectations, the American confronted Zharnel Hughes on his home turf, and the British athlete refused to give up the victory. Hughes held a comfortable lead until the final stretch, when everything changed.
Noah Lyles charged at an incredible pace, as did Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo, and both finished ahead of the British runner. The American sprinter not only won the race, but he also reclaimed the world lead with an astounding 19.47 in the face of a 1.6 tailwind.
Heading into the World Athletics Championships strong on pace
The 2023 World Athletics Championships served as a proving ground for many athletes who will carry on the Olympic excitement into the 2024 season. This list included Noah Lyles, who has performed well on the track since his seasonal debut at the Tom Jones Memorial; however, the pressure in such a large-scale event is much higher than in other track meetings, and the American athlete is well aware of this.
He breezed through the qualifying stages, scoring 20.05 and 19.76 in the individual heat and semi-final rounds, respectively. Coming into the finals, he showed himself to be well ahead of the competition from the start, and he held his position until the finish line despite a stiff challenge from Erriyon Knighton in second place, followed by Letsile Tebogo in third. Lyles did not break the world record, but he once again was crowned with the world lead with a 19.52.
The final 200-meter race of the 2023 season
Lyles had nothing to lose going into the season’s final 200-meter race, and the times didn’t matter; yet, with a competitive grid, he always wanted to be ahead of the opponents.
Two more American athletes competed in the Zurich Diamond League race: Erriyon Knighton and Kenny Bednarek. When the race began, it appeared that Lyles would win again, but when the participants reached the 100-meter mark, it became a struggle for first place between the three athletes.
Knighton was gaining up to Lyles, and Hughes was also vying for silver, but the six-time world champion just ensured that the pace was adequate to keep them behind him, and he was successful in claiming first place.
