Noah Lyles’ quest for history at Paris 2024 continues after he finished first in his heat in a time of 20.19 seconds in the first round of the men’s 200-metres this morning.
Just one day after claiming a dramatic photo-finish victory in the men’s 100 metres, Lyles looked fresh and hungry in the half-lap event in which he made his name.
Lyles says he knows a lot of people are trying to make a move on him ahead of the semi finals.
Lyles will be joined in the semi finals by the likes of Erriyon Knighton, Kenny Bednarek, defending champion Andre de Grasse and Letsile Tebogo, who all navigated the first round with wins in their heats at the Stade de France.
The semi-finals take place at 6.02am Thursday with the finals at 6.30am Friday.
While Lyles' gold on Monday’s 100 metre race earned him the coveted title of ‘world’s fastest man’, the 27-year-old is traditionally known as a 200 metre runner, having claimed the titles at the last three world championships, in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
He is also the third-fastest half-lap runner in history, with his mark of 19.31 seconds set at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon in 2022, only behind Jamaica’s Yohan Blake and sprinting legend Usain Bolt.
While Bolt’s world record of 19.19 seconds will be within his sight, Lyles has also stated his aim of attempting to win an unprecedented four sprint gold medals at Paris 2024, including the 4x100 metre and 4x400 metre relays.
[Source: Olympics.com]
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