The fastest man in America strutted into Hayward Field Sunday evening, with cameras capturing his every step.
Noah Lyles was wearing a navy blue Gucci suit, dark sunglasses, and a sparkling white pearl in his hair. Next to him was Snoop Dogg, and a silver briefcase contained the shiny red Adidas jersey that Lyles would wear later that night.
Coming into the race, Lyles once again proved he’s more than just a showman off the track, as he bounced back from a sluggish start to win the men’s 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials and solidify his status as America’s top hope to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris later this summer.
Lyles’ winning time of 9.83 seconds was the third-fastest time in the 100 meters this year and matched his previous personal best – only Ferdinand Omanyara of Kenya (9.79) and Oblique Sevilla of Jamaica (9.82) have run faster this season.
The two Americans who joined Lyles in earning a spot in Paris in the 100 meters also have plenty of international experience. Kenny Bednarek, who came in second, is a former junior college athlete who won silver in the 200 meters at the 2020 Olympics and is now a standout athlete in the 100 meters. Fred Curley, who came in third, won silver in the 100 meters in Tokyo three years ago and came within one-hundredth of a second of winning Olympic gold.
Unfortunately for him, finishing in fourth place on Sunday night was Christian Coleman, the self-proclaimed “greatest 60-meter sprinter of all time.” As always, Coleman had a rocket start, but this time he lost steam badly in the last third of the race and was passed first by Lyles, then by Bednarek and Curley.
Qualifying for Paris in the 100 metres fulfills Lyles’ audacious goal this summer to achieve something not even the legendary Usain Bolt managed: The American has said he wants to win Olympic gold medals in four different running events.
At last year’s world championships, Lyles won the 100 and 200 meters to complete a sprint triple crown, then led the U.S. 4×100-meter relay team to a gold medal with a spectacular anchor performance. Lyles is hopeful that USA Track and Field gives him the opportunity to add the 4×400-meter relay to his calendar this summer.
“[Bolt] “He’s already won it three times and he holds the world record when he does that,” Lyles told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. “What do you have to do to get better than that? You have to win it four times. Nobody’s ever done it four times. Now you climb Mount Rushmore. Now you’re the great of the greats. That’s what I’m trying to achieve.”
While the 200 meters remains Lyles’s specialty, he has worked tirelessly in recent years to become competitive in the 100 meters as well, which was evident on Saturday evening when Lyles slowed after the 60 meter mark but still managed to win handily in a time of 9.92 seconds.
“One of the easiest 9.9 miles I’ve ever seen!” legendary American sprinter Michael Johnson tweeted after the race.
Lyles used the wind to win his semifinal in 9.80 seconds, one step closer to booking a spot in Paris the following night, and Coleman answered the call a few minutes later with a wind-assisted 9.86 to take first place in the semifinals.
Now the Lyles-Coleman showdown seemed likely to end the same way every time: Would Coleman get off to a blistering start and pass Lyles early, or would Lyles stay within striking distance and pass Coleman later in the race?
In the end, Lyles got his chance and Coleman picked a bad night that kept him from racing.
Now Lyles can focus on adding the U.S. 100-meter championship to his resume and qualifying for Paris in his flagship event, the 200 meters, next weekend.
