WATCH: Noah Lyles storms to a dominant 19.77 victory in his 200m season opener at the NYC Grand Prix 2024

Noah Lyles opened his 200m season for the Olympic year in style. Racing the distance for the first time in 2024, the American stormed to a 19.77 victory at the USATF NYC Grand Prix but missed out on the world lead he intended to clinch.

Lyles began his 2024 season by racing the indoor 60m, winning the USA national championships, and bagging the silver at the World Championships. From there, the 26-year-old moved on to attack the 100m, where he won the Tom Jones Memorial and the Bermuda Grand Prix.

Going into his 200m season opener at the USATF NYC Grand Prix, expectations were high for Lyles. A four-time World Champion in the distance, he'd challenged Kenny Bednarek's world lead of 19.67 before coming into the race, and fans were excited to see if he could match the time on his debut.

The day of the NYC Grand Prix arrived with a stir headwind of 1.6, nevertheless, Noah Lyles managed to storm to gold, keeping alive his two-year-long winning streak in the 200m. Additionally, with his 19.77, the World Champion was the only one on the field to dip below the 20-second mark.

Watch a video of this dominant performance by Lyles below:

Noah Lyles on his 200m season opener

Going into the 200m sprint at the USATF NYC Grand Prix, the conditions certainly weren't the best for Noah Lyles. There was a strong wind throughout the competition, and the starting blocks kept slipping, according to the American.

Despite this, Lyles walked away with an impressive 19.77, just 0.1 seconds short of Kenny Bednarek’s current world lead. Notably, Bednarek's world lead came with a tailwind of 1.7, while Lyles' time came with a headwind of 1.6.

Speaking to Citius Magazine after the race, Noah Lyles said,

“I said yesterday that I wanted a world lead and I guess the wind had a disagreement there. If the wind was dead even that would have easily been a 19.6, 19.5 race. And if the wind was with me, shoot, then for all we know that could have been a 19.4 race.”

While he might now have clinched the world lead, Lyles is walking away from this race satisfied with what he's done. For the defending 100m and 200m World Champion, his focus is now more towards the 100m sprint, given that it is his weaker event.

“I’m just trying to get my rhythm in the 100. That’s really what it’s been all about. I’m the 100m world champion in 2023 and I’m not planning on giving that title up. I’m planning on being the Olympic champion.”

“I know I have the 200 on lock. All I need is two or three 200s before I’m like, ‘Okay I got this, this is in my back pocket.’ I want to make sure I really drill in the event that’s not as strong. And this year I feel like we’ve done it.”

Noah Lyles' season opener at the USATF NYC Grand Prix certainly lived up to expectations, with Joseph Fanbullah and Josephus Lyles joining him on the podium. With the U.S. Olympic team trials fast approaching, fans will be eager to see what times the American clocks in his upcoming races.