Noah Lyles defended his world 200m title in electric fashion in a second US sprint cleansweep on Thursday, while Shericka Jackson thwarted Jamaican teammate Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s bid for a sprint double in the women’s race.
Close on the heels of Fred Kerley leading a 1-2-3 for Team USA in the men’s 100m, Lyles made no mistake over the longer sprint, racing home in 19.31 seconds in Eugene.
It was the fourth fastest 200m ever run: only Jamaicans Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake have run faster.
Lyles’s teammates Kenny Bednarek and teenager Erriyon Knighton took silver and bronze in 19.77 and 19.80sec respectively, to repeated chants of “U-S-A” from home fans at Hayward Field.
“It’s like being a rock star!” Lyles said of performing in front of a packed crowd in Eugene, as opposed to the empty stands in the Tokyo Olympics where he finished third and admitted to having mental health issues.
“I was true in form for a world record, but I am okay with the American record,” Lyles said after bettering Michael Johnson’s previous best by one-hundredth of a second.
“To be honest, every step was purposeful, going out with intent to win.”
Click here for full story