"The great thing about Noah Lyles is, he's not trying to be Usain Bolt" - Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson showered praises on Noah Lyles in a recent interview. In the recent London meeting of the Diamond League Lyles broke Usain Bolt's record by winning his 35th 200m race by running it under 20 seconds.

In a video shared by World Athletics, Johnson showed his fondness for Lyles, proclaiming that the American has what it needs for the sport.

"I love Noah. He's so great for the sport and not just because he's a great athlete and he's got a great personality", he said

Appreciating Lyles and showing faith in his potential, Johnson also praised how the American sprinter presents himself.

"He also gets it, he gets what the sport need and he loves competing. He loves being that showman. He loves putting on a show", said Johnson.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist shared his views about Lyles and Bolt being in the same sport after the former broke Bolt's record, saying:

"Bolt is the most unique people to ever participate in any sport. You're not gonna, nobody's ever gonna beat him. There is not gonna be another Bolt", he said.

"The great thing about Noah is, Noah is authentically Noah. He's not trying to be Usain Bolt. He's just Noah. That's just who he is and it's great", he said.

Johnson expressed that it's a great time for sprinters and he enjoys watching it more now that it makes him anticipate something is going to happen than back when Bolt just drifted past all the other sprinters.

"As a fan of sport who really wants to see great competition, I enjoy this a bit more than watching Bolt just sort of you know, run away from everybody", he said.

Noah Lyles anticipates medals at World Athletics Championship in Budapest

Noah Lyles after winning in 200m at World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022 in Eugene, Oregon

Noah Lyles is an Olympic medalist from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, in addition to being world champion thrice and winning five Diamond League gold medals.

Lyles now hopes to compete better in the upcoming World Athletics Championship in Budapest.

When asked about his expectations from at the event, the American sprinter asserted that he wanted to win three gold medals by keeping his title in 200m and winning another in 100m.

"Personally, walking away with three gold medals", he said, when asked what his expectations at the event are.