U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles was running around the track in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday after winning the gold medal in the 100-meter men’s race of the World Athletics Championships.
Lyles is known for his success in the 200-meter race, but when he crossed the finish line at 9.83 seconds after charging forward halfway through the race, he cemented his place as the world’s No. 1 sprinter.
In doing so, Lyles is looking to become the first man since Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt to win both the 100-meter and 200-meter races at Worlds, which Bolt accomplished in 2015.
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Gold medalist Noah Lyles reacts after winning the men’s 100-meter final at the World Athletics Championships, August 20, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
It’s expected to happen, too, as Lyles is the two-time defending 200-meter champion at Worlds. The race will take place in Budapest on Wednesday, where everyone will be waiting to see if Lyles can match Bolt.
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo came in second for the silver medal at 9.88 seconds while Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes won bronze at the same time, but he finished one one-thousandth of a second behind Tebogo in a photo finish.
Fellow American Christian Coleman, who was the 2019 world champion in the event, was leading early but finished fifth at 9.92 seconds.
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Prior to his victory on Sunday, Lyles had never made a U.S. team in the 100-meter. In the 200-meter, he had only lost twice in his professional career in the event, setting the third-fastest time ever in the process.
But it was a goal of his to win both events, and with the less likely one secured, many believe it’s his time to make his mark on sprinting history this week.
Gold medalist Noah Lyles reacts after winning the men’s 100-meter final at the World Athletics Championships, August 20, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary. (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Leading up to this gold-medal race, Lyles finished third in the 100 at the United States championships in July, which was what he needed to get a spot in the Worlds. After getting better off the block with his start, Lyles saw better times, and his opening heat and semifinal race in Budapest proved that.
Lyles finished with a 9.95-second race in his opening heat and followed it up with a better 9.87-second finish in the semifinals, securing his spot in the gold-medal race.
A personal-best 9.83 seconds was not what anyone had predicted, but after he crossed the finish line, Lyles couldn’t believe he won.
He took selfies with fans in the stands as he wore an American flag around his shoulders, knowing that he is now the world’s fastest man.
Gold medalist Noah Lyles reacts after winning the men’s 100-meter final at the World Athletics Championships, August 20, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
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But his job at the World Athletics Championships is not finished.