“My girlfriend has said I'm never allowed to use that strategy again” - Noah Lyles weighs in on 200m loss at Paris Olympics 2024

Noah Lyles has reflected on his strategy in the 200m final at the Paris Olympics 2024, claiming that he tried to go fast up front because he didn't trust his top-end speed. The 100m gold medalist added that he would have adjusted the strategy a bit in hindsight. But as his girlfriend Junelle Broomfield told him, he would never use it again.

Heading into the Olympics, Lyles was a favorite for the 200m title but not so for the 100m. His odds of winning the 100m on the betting sites were even higher after he finished second in the first two rounds. However, Lyles shocked everyone in the final, taking the gold medal by five-thousandths of a second.

With a breathtaking win in the 100m, Lyles was the favorite to take the 200m title. He caught COVID on the following day but chose to race nonetheless. Although he did reach the final easily, the world champion didn't look at his best.

Nearly a month after the race, Lyles has revealed that he knew his top-end speed was no longer with him after the 200m semifinals, where he couldn't chase down Letsile Tebogo.

"I think I would have adjusted how I raced it now looking back. The strategy that we were going for was I was going to give all of my energy up front because I didn’t know if it would come at the end. I knew from running in the semifinal that my top-end speed was no longer with me. You could say that COVID had it under hostage, but I wasn’t producing the top-end speeds I was normally producing in the last few weeks, which had been very high," he said.

The 27-year-old eventually finished third in 19.70s, failing to chase down Letsile Tebogo yet again, who ran away with Africa's first sprinting gold medal in 19.46s.

"I was trying to rely on how fast I could get up to top speed and my ability to be able to hold top speed. It got me the bronze medal but it wasn’t enough for me to do better."

Noah Lyles added that his girlfriend has told him several times to never use that strategy again.

"Now my girlfriend has said many times that I’m never allowed to use that strategy again and I’m in full belief with her that I will never use that strategy again."

---

Will Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo be racing again in 2024?

2024 Summer Olympics - Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo - (Source: Getty)

Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo will not be facing each other again in 2024. While the 200m Olympic champion is still competing in the Diamond League, the 100m Olympic champion has called off his season.

Lyles and Tebogo have faced each other four times over the 200m, an event considered a stronger suit for both. In their first two meetings back in 2023, the American reigned supreme, winning in 19.47s at the London Diamond League and 19.52s at the World Championship finals.

Tebogo evened the score at the Paris Olympics, winning in 19.96s in the semifinals and 19.46s in the final.