- - -
At first, it seemed as if U.S. sprint star Noah Lyles had fallen just short of an astounding record-breaking performance.
The 25-year-old crossed the finish line in a commanding first place to win the coveted men's 200m title at the World Outdoor Championships on Thursday, but his eyes immediately turned to the clock to see just how dominant his title-winning race really was.
The unofficial time on the video board read 19.32 at first. That would've tied U.S. great Michael Johnson's American 200m record.
Lyles sat on the track waiting for the official time confirmation.
Moments later when the official results read 19.31, the crowd erupted, and Lyles celebrated in typical energetic fashion, ripping off his red U.S.A. uniform.
The American record that stood for 26 years now belongs to the sprinter that has made a name for himself in track and field ever since his days as a top junior athlete.
Lyles' 19.31 performance broke the long-standing American 200m record of 19.32 set by Johnson at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. U.S. teammates Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton finished right behind Lyles in second (19.77) and third (19.80) to complete an American sweep of the podium in electric fashion.
Lyles, a former star at T.C. Williams in Virginia (now Alexandria City), is no stranger to setting records. In 2016 as a teenager, he set the national high school 200m outdoor record of 20.09 at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, just narrowly missing out on making the Olympic team.
After graduating from high school in 2016, Lyles signed a professional contract with adidas and began chasing after U.S. and world titles, winning the 2019 200m World Outdoor title and the Olympic bronze medal in the same event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Related Links: