Noah Lyles aims for history in more ways than one.
At 26 years old, he may just be the face of track and field. It’s a title not held by an American for a long time. However, after winning his three gold medals at the World Championships, he is rapidly on his way to similar success in Paris.
Lyles has always been scheduled to compete in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m races this summer, the three races in which he won gold in Hungary last year. But three is not enough.
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Team USA gold medalist Noah Lyles reacts after winning the men’s 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on August 20, 2023. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
At this month’s World Track and Field Indoor Championships, Lyles was part of the silver medal-winning 4×400 relay, a race Lyles has only competed in once since turning pro in 2016.
Lyles faced backlash from fellow American runners. Fred Curley accused USA Track and Field of including Lyles in the group as the favorite to win. But Lyles says it’s all part of the plan to make history.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Lyles said a friend told her, “‘Forget 3 o’clock, you should go after 4 o’clock. Do something no one has ever done before.'” .
“If you want to talk about being the best, that’s what you have to achieve. So I announced that that’s my goal to achieve. What if I achieved it on the biggest stage of the Olympics? Do you want it?”
Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men’s 200m final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on August 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schroeder)
U.S. track and field athlete Noah Lyles says it’s ‘bittersweet’ to represent his country in the Olympics
Lyles did not run the race during qualifying, but was added at the last minute. He ran the third leg in an impressive time of 45.68 seconds, and Lyles would have won gold in Glasgow, Scotland, had Belgium’s Alexander Doom not run a perfect anchor leg of 44.88 seconds.
So while it may not be good for other competitors, Lyles says this was all “planned.” But the four gold medals aren’t his focus.
Lyles is the favorite to win the 200m, but now he has a chance to break Usain Bolt’s world record of 19.19 seconds.
Of course, it would be great to win gold at this event, but there’s more to Lyles than that.
Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the silver medal in the men’s 60m final at this month’s World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. (Sam Burns/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
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“This is a dream goal. This is the first world record I set where I said, ‘I want to make this my own,'” Lyles says. “I’m still learning about the 100, but the 200 is my favorite event and the time I’ve put the most effort into. So when I look at it, I think, ‘Wow, this is the world.'” Record what you want to be your own. ”
Bolt clocked 19.19 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. Lyles’ current personal best is 19.31 seconds, which is the third-fastest of all time and the current U.S. record.
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