ADVERTISEMENT
Noah Lyles still owns the men’s 200m.
Lyles broke Michael Johnson’s national record on Thursday night, became world champion again and led the second U.S. sprint in six days at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Lyles, 25, crossed the line in 19.31, beating his previous personal best of 19.50 and surpassing Johnson’s record set at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics by one hundredth of a second.
Then, to celebrate, Lyles was met at the track by Johnson, who took the new record holder by surprise. The men met in person for the first time. But no, Johnson didn’t give Liles his famous golden spikes.
“I can’t take them,” exclaimed Lyles, an adidas-sponsored athlete, “it’s Nike!”
Carcass.
Kenny Bednarek, the reigning Olympic silver medalist, finished second with a score of 19.77, while 18-year-old Herrion Knighton (19.80) was behind him in bronze.
It was the second fastest time for the American men in the sprint, as Fred Curley, Marvin Bracey and Trayvon Bromell also went 1-2-3 in the 100m.
This is the first time the Americans have won both tournaments at the same World Cup and only the second time the US has won the 200. Another time was in 2005 in Helsinki.
According to Lyles, running in front of the home crowd was “like being a rock star”.
“Throughout the rounds, when we came out, they cheered our names, but, hell, when the three of us went, they were already standing and already shouting our names,” Lyles said. “You won’t hear this in Europe… they root for their compatriots. But we are compatriots here. And gosh, it was amazing.”
The story, however, was Liles. It was a dominating performance by the 2021 Olympic bronze medalist, a performance that restores his status as a man to beat on a packed 200m field and one of the biggest stars in the sport.
Looks like he was having fun too.
This is important given the difficulties Lyles has been talking about over the past few years. He was honest and went into detail about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected him and how he failed to live up to his expectations in Tokyo. However, this season is different.
“Every time I went to the track this year, I knew that I was not the same person,” Liles said. “It’s like I found my juice, my rhythm. I enjoyed running again and was happy to run every day.”
When he first crossed the line, Lyles saw 7:32 p.m., a time that would equal Johnson’s time. He wasn’t exactly thrilled.
“No one wants to share the tape,” he explained with a grimace.
But when 19:31 was highlighted, he tore off his T-shirt and let out a guttural cry.
“When it was tied up, I thought I wasn’t going to (tear my jersey),” Lyles said. “But then when I broke it, I thought, ‘I’m doing this!’
It was an enjoyable night for Bednarek too, who missed seven weeks of training in December after breaking his right big toe during a failed home improvement project. (“It was because I broke my toe, and then I realized that I had assembled the closet incorrectly, which made it even worse,” he said with a sigh. “I’m not a jack-of-all-trades. I learned my lesson.”)
Meanwhile, Knighton became the youngest ever medalist in the 200 at the World Championships, an accomplishment he could not fully comprehend an hour after the race.
“I’m excited,” Knighton said in a sort of stupefaction. “I just need some time to think about what I just did.
Lyles, who didn’t realize what order they finished in until he got on the podium, was happy that Bednarek and Knighton were ready to push him off the gun.
“I told them, ‘You all put the fear of God in my head!'” Liles said. “Today was the beginning of my life – and it will only accelerate.”
When asked who he considered his main rival in the future, Bednarek or Knighton, Lyles did not hesitate.
“Me,” he said.
MORE:800 runners Ating Mu and Brandon Miller bring #couplegoals to the World Championships in Athletics
SHOT PUSH DOMINATION:Americans win historic podium at World Championships in Athletics
SPORTS BULLETIN:Get the latest news and insights straight to your inbox
Sherika Jackson flirting with history
Meanwhile, in the women’s 200m, Sherika Jackson of Jamaica came close to the world record by about a tenth of a second.
Jackson won the 2022 world title in 21.45 seconds, the second fastest time in history and the closest anyone has ever come close to Florence Griffith-Joyner’s multi-year world record. Silver was taken by compatriot Shelley-Anne Fraser-Pryce, and bronze was won by Dina Asher-Smith from Great Britain.
Two Americans, Abby Steiner and Tamara Clark, finished fifth and sixth respectively.
US Decathlete Disqualified
The US Anti-Doping Agency has announced that the reigning national decathlon champion has been suspended for an anti-doping rule violation.
USADA said Garrett Scantling, fourth-place finisher at the Tokyo Olympics, accepted a provisional suspension for “possible whereabouts and tampering,” indicating he missed several drug tests but did not test positive for a banned substance. The disqualification knocked him out of participation in the world championships.
“This system may be tough for clean athletes, but I take full responsibility for my actions as it could have been completely avoided,” Scantling wrote on Instagram.
#Noah #Lyles #broke #Michael #Johnsons #record #repeated #world #title #200th #year
Leave a Comment