Noah Lyles Advances to 200m Final, Eyes Historic Olympic Sprint Double
In a thrilling semifinal heat, American sprinter Noah Lyles secured a spot in the highly anticipated 200 meters final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite not running the race he envisioned, Lyles’ second-place finish keeps his hopes alive for a historic Olympic sprint double.
Lyles, who has been almost unbeatable in his favorite event, finished with a time of 20.08 seconds, just 12 hundredths of a second shy of Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo’s winning time. The American’s sluggish start and third-place finish at the curve meant he was unable to catch up to Tebogo, but he still managed to advance to the final.
Lyles’ decision to "go straight to medical" after the semifinal heat has raised some concerns, but a USA Track & Field spokesperson has not provided further information at this time.
This is not the first time Lyles has followed a similar pattern in the 200 prelims. He also finished second in both rounds of heats in the 100 meters before coming up big when it mattered. On Sunday night, Lyles won the closest-ever Olympic men’s 100 meters, clocking a personal-best 9.784 seconds to edge Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by five thousandths of a second.
If Lyles wins the 200 meters final, he would be the first man since Usain Bolt to complete the Olympic sprint double. He will face stiff competition from his fellow Americans, including Kenny Bednarek, the 2021 Olympic silver medalist in the 200, and Erriyon Knighton, who has won world championship medals in the 200 the past two years.
When asked about his confidence in winning the men’s 200 meters, Lyles grinned and said, "Pretty confident, can’t lie." He added, "When I come off the turn, they will all be depressed."
The 200 meters final is set to take place on Thursday night, and fans are eagerly anticipating a thrilling competition. Will Lyles be able to overcome his sluggish start and claim the gold medal? Only time will tell.
