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Noah Lyles was flying high in 2019. After clocking the fastest 200m time of the year at the Lausanne Diamond League, which made him the fourth fastest man over the distance, the world champion went on to break Usain Bolt's meet record from 2013 in Paris.
Lyles rose to prominence in 2016 after breaking a 31-year-old national high school record at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials. He clocked 20.09s to finish fourth in the 200m finals and was named as an alternate to the Team USA for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
While he didn't get the chance to compete in Rio, Lyles went on to break the 300m world indoor record in 2017 with 31.87s. In 2018, the 26-year-old clocked the fastest 200m time of the year in a personal best of 19.69s at the Eugene Diamond League. A year later, he got his hands on sprinting legend Usain Bolt's Paris Diamond League meet record.
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Noah Lyles clocked 19.65s to secure a dominant victory in Paris while runner-up Ramil Guliyev strolled off in 20.01s. It marked the second fastest 200m time of the year, the first one, 19.50, was also held by him. But more importantly, Lyles had broken Bolt's meet record, when the nine-time Olympic champion ran the distance in 19.73s in 2013.
Speaking with the media after the race, Lyles was asked whether he was thinking about Bolt's world record mark of 19.19s. While he didn't entertain the idea of going after the WR, the then-22-year-old claimed he was ready to go after any record.
"It's not about going after Bolt's record or anything like that. But when we get there, we're willing to go after any record," he stated (via CGTN)
Noah Lyles has repeatedly expressed the idea of going after Usain Bolt's world record in recent years. He even believes he can run 19.10 over the 200m, 0.09s faster than the world record.
Can Noah Lyles break the 200m world record in 2024?
The 200m is Noah Lyles' premier event. He is the second fastest man, and fastest American over the distance with a time of 19.31s he clocked at the Eugene Diamond League in 2022. Given the form he's shown this year, Lyles could very well break Usain Bolt's 200m world record, or at least improve his personal best and get closer to the 19.19 mark.
Lyles broke his 60m indoor personal best twice in a span of a month this year. He showed signs of improvement in his blocks as well, where the world champion has been relatively slower over the years.
In the outdoor season, Noah Lyles ran the second-fastest 100m of his career at the Racers Grand Prix. He clocked 10.85s in Jamaica, just 0.02 seconds shy of his personal best. Over the 200m, Lyles raced only once this season but ran an impressive time of 19.77s at the USATF NYC Grand Prix on June 9.
