As the legend of track and field, Usain Bolt announced his retirement in 2017, the world of athletics has been looking for the next big star who would fill in Bolt’s shoes. And that’s none other than, Noah Lyles, who proved himself supreme by becoming the newest world champion in the men’s 100m race.
American track and field sprinter, Noah Lyles has won gold in the men’s 100m at World Athletics Championships organized in Budapest, Hungary. Lyles recorded a remarkable time speed of 9.83 seconds, earning him a comparison with the legend of track and field, Usain Bolt, the fastest man on Earth.
Introducing the FASTEST MAN IN THE WORLD! ⚡️
Noah Lyles is the newest world champion in the men’s 100m.
📺 @nbc & @peacock | #WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/CBfLRtWENl
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 20, 2023
Usain Bolt has an unbeatable record of 9.58 seconds and 19.19 seconds in the men’s 100m and 200m, respectively. The record was set 13 years ago at the 2009 World Athletics Championships held in Berlin, Germany.
To date, no sprinter has attempted to get even close to these records. With that in mind and an aim to fill the void in athletics left behind by Bolt’s retirement, Noah Lyles is on a mission to break his unbeatable record. His recent win marks the fourth successive win in the races of the United States.
Noah Lyles aims to break Usain Bolt’s world record in 200m
To beat Bolt’s 200m record of 19.19 seconds, Noah Lyles earned his third 200m world championship victory recorded at 19.31 seconds. During a media event, he said, “I’ve always known that I’m the fastest man in the world,” after sharing his record of 9.83 seconds in men’s 100m at the National Athletic Centre that earned him the first world title of the event.
Although he couldn’t break Bolt’s record, he did beat Michael Johnson’s American record and earned himself the title of third fastest man in history.
When asked about his victory, Lyles said, “Of course I wanted to be faster. I at least wanted to break the American record again.” He further added, “I still believe I have the ability to. It’s just after my sixth race and I’m still running 19.5, I can’t be sad about that.”
Only the 5th Man in History to win the
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Double! pic.twitter.com/it524U2vSq— Noah Lyles, OLY (@LylesNoah) August 25, 2023
As this was the first time that Lyles competed both in 100m and 200m at a global championship, that counts to around six races in seven days.
With this victory, Lyles became the fifth man since Usain Bolt to win the 100/200 meters world double. Before him, it was the American Trio of Tyson Gay in 2007, Justin Gatlin in 2005, and Maurine Greene in 1999.