Noah Lyles breaks Usain Bolt's record for most 200m finishes under 20 seconds

Noah Lyles, sprinter, world champion, and track and field's most vibrant personality, has just cemented his name in the list of greats after breaking a long-standing record. This year saw the American add six sub-20 200m races under his belt, taking his total to 39.

This makes Lyles the athlete with the highest number of 200m races under the 20-second mark, surpassing Jamaican legend Usain Bolt's previous record of 34.

Noah Lyles has already been the most dominant face of the 200m the world's seen in a while, and this record is further proof of his excellence. Over the last two years, not only has the American managed to dip under the 20-second mark in all his races, but he has also remained unbeaten in his specialist event.

Earlier in 2023, Lyles raced to a 19.51 finish in the 200m finals at the World Championships finals. In doing so, he defended his title in the event just a handful of days after he stormed to the win in the 100m with a personal best of 9.83. This 200m victory was his third overall, making him the second-most successful sprinter of the event at the World Championships, ahead of Michael Johnson and Calvin Smith, and behind Usain Bolt.

The 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships also saw Noah Lyles complete the revered sprint treble - a gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m. This made him the first person to achieve this feat since Bolt in 2015.

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Noah Lyles: Surpassing his sport

Not only is Noah Lyles the only athlete to emulate many of Bolt's on-track achievements, but he is also the only one to reach the same levels of worldwide popularity as him. For Lyles, the aim has never been only running, he's had his target locked in to transcending the sport since the beginning.

Like his sprinting, Lyles has succeeded and surpassed his other target. From flashy outfits and controversial statements to an appearance at the Met Gala and walking the runway at Paris Fashion Week, who could deny the American's influence?

Besides successfully thrusting himself into the limelight, Noah Lyles has taken the sport with him. In between winning races, the 26-year-old has managed to organize walk-ins inspired by the NBA and NFL. Here he convinced his fellow athletes to ditch their track outfits for something more designer and intrigued the world. Overall, Lyles has proved over and over that he is a force to reckon with, on and off the track.