Tokyo [Japan], September 19 : America's Noah Lyles banished the nightmare of his last appearance at the Japan National Stadium. He replaced it with levelling Usain Bolt's record of four consecutive world 200m titles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Friday.
The fleet-footed Lyles sprinted with a touch of fury and struck gold in 19.52s, and became the second athlete after Bolt to accomplish the 200m four-peat. He faced a stern contest from his fellow American Kenneth Bednarek, but eventually outpaced his timing of 19.58s. After his record-breaking feat, he is now eyeing to go past Bolt and get his hands on the fifth gold.
"I can't wait for 2027 to become the only man to win five 200m titles. Today, I didn't have the start I had in the semi-final but I knew I was still moving fast. I studied my competitors. I knew their momentum was going to show up once we got closer to 150m but mine was going to build up after I hit that mark," Lyles said while looking ahead to the next worlds in Beijing, as quoted from Olympics.com.
"Being patient was the most important thing. I controlled the race. I knew some of the guys were going to tighten up, but I just stayed relaxed and got the job done. I am proud to be able to show all my skills," Lyles added.
Bryan Levell of Jamaica completed the podium with a personal best effort of 19.64s. Botswana's Paris 2024 Olympic champion, Letsile Tebogo, missed a spot on the podium, finishing fourth in 19.65s, despite notching his season best effort. Levell got off to an impressive start and had the halfway lead with a split of 10.03, Bednarek, Tebogo and Lyles coming hot on his tail.
At that moment, Lyles pushed his foot on the accelerator and breezed past his competitors to get his hands on gold. For the American, it was sweet vindication considering he settled for bronze in 2020.
"I don't have good memories from Tokyo in 2021. At that time, I was depressed, but this time I am energised. I love what I do and I am happy. I have the best support staff and the best crowd I could have ever asked for," Lyles said.
"My face is blasted everywhere over Tokyo. This is amazing and such a joyous moment, I am going to keep with me forever. Now I want to win the gold medal in the relay," he added.
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