Noah Lyles declares for 100m and 200m at the U.S Olympic Track and Field Trials as he aims to create a record in Paris

Noah Lyles has officially declared that he will be racing the 100m and 200m sprints at the U.S Olympic Track and Field Trials. The American is the defending World Champion in both events and remains a favorite to make it to the team.

The trials are scheduled to start on June 21 and will continue till June 30 at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The men's 100m and 200m events are expected to be particularly competitive as they will feature a multitude of World and Olympic medalists.

For Lyles, his primary threat in the shorter distance will be former World Champion Christian Coleman. While the 26-year-old did beat his compatriot at the 2023 World Championships, Coleman leads the duo's overall head-to-head 7-4 and won their last encounter which took place at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic.

Another sprinter that could pose a challenge for Noah Lyles is 100m World Champion and Olympic silver-medalist Fred Kerley. While currently out of form, Kerley has gone as fast as a 9.76, meaning that a return to his top form could spell trouble.

Meanwhile, Lyles will enter the 200m as a dominant favorite for the win. He's the defending and three-time World Champion in his specialty event and has gone unbeaten in the distance since 2022.

Favorites to join him on the 200m team are Olympic silver-medalist Kenny Bednarek, and World Championships silver-medalist Erriyon Knighton.

At the Olympic trials for the 2020 Tokyo Games, Noah Lyles had topped the charts for the 200m but had placed a disappointing seventh in the 100m finals, failing to make the team for the event. This time around, he heads into both the 100m and 2000m races as the defending World Champion and a favorite for the win.

When and how to watch Noah Lyles in action at the U.S Olympic Track and Field Trials

Noah Lyles will begin his campaign at the U.S Olympic Track and Field Trials on Saturday, June 22, at 6:22 PM with the first round of the 100m sprint. A day later, he will take to the track at 5:48 PM for the semifinals of the event, before competing in the final on the same evening at 7:49 PM.

Lyles' 200m outing at the Trials will begin on June 27, as he gets down to business in his specialty event's round one at 7:33 PM. The semifinals for the 200m will take place on June 28, at 7:28 PM, with the finals scheduled for 6:49 PM on Saturday, June 29.

Fans excited to watch Noah Lyles in action at the Hayward Field will have multiple options to watch the competition live. NBC, NBC's Peacock, and the USA Network will stream the events live throughout the nine days of action.

So far this year, the American has competed in three 100m and one 200m races. He won two of his 100 outings and finished first with a 19.77 in his 200m season debut at the USATF NYC Grand Prix.