Noah Lyles Reflects on 200M Strategy Shift After COVID Impacted Paris Performance

Noah Lyles recently spoke with The Spun and Celsius about his 200-meter finals performance in Paris, which was plagued with COVID. Although the athlete ran the race to the best of his ability, he emphasized the tactical shift he made while suffering from the illness.

The interviewer knew that the American sprinter’s Olympic 200-meter campaign had not gone as planned. However, they were curious about any additional approach Lyles would have wanted to implement during the event.

The 100m gold medalist pointed out that upon reflecting on the race, he always contemplated taking a different route than the one he took at that time. He then elaborated on the race strategy, stating:

“The strategy that we were going for was I was going to give all of my energy up front because I didn’t know if it would come at the end.“

When he arrived at the final stage of the 200-meter event in Paris, Lyles had a simple objective: to expend all of his energy and race at the fastest possible speed.

The six-time world champion knew that COVID had affected his top speed and intended to reach his best speed at the beginning of the race and then sustain it for as long as possible. He acknowledges his Olympic bronze medal but believes he could have approached the race better.

The 27-year-old also claimed that this racing plan was the same one he employed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics’ 200-meter finals, resulting in the same result as that year. However, the athlete will not use this tactic in future events because his girlfriend, Junelle Bromfield, has insisted on it.

Lyles had ambitious targets going into the Olympics, including winning gold medals in every event he competed in. He was slated to compete in the men’s 100, 200, and 4×100-meter relays, but COVID forced him to withdraw from the coveted event following his 200-meter final.

The American sprinter will look forward to a wonderful 2025 season, as he now has a title to defend: 100-meter Olympic and World Champion.