Noah Lyles will aim “first for medals” before thinking of possible records in his quest to become the fifth man to complete the double in the 100 and 200 meters at the World Championships in Athletics in Budapest. At the end of the month, the 26-year-old American, who will try to glean a third consecutive world title in the 200 meters, will also try to snatch the 100 m title from his compatriot Fred Kerley.
“I’ve already won gold in the 200m and 4x100m, so I definitely want to add another gold medal to all of that,” Lyles said in an interview with news agencies. Over 200 meters, Lyles could also approach the world record. With a best time of 19 sec 31, he is the third fastest man in history over the distance, still far from the record of 19 sec 19 set by Usain Bolt in 2009.
But in Hungary, the objective “is first the medals and then the records”, warned Lyles. “I go for the gold and if something amazing comes along that’s even better.” On the track, the American sprinter will have to be at 100% to get rid of the threat Erriyon Knighton, titled in the 200 meters at the United States championships in July. “He’s a kid who came into the world of athletics very early, earlier than me,” Lyles said of his 19-year-old compatriot. “When I arrived, I was ready to cut everyone’s heads off.”
“Last year he got a taste of what it’s like to be at the top in the months leading up to the United States Championships. We have a target in the back and it can be a very heavy burden to bear if we are not prepared for it”, he added about the one who won bronze in the 200m at the Eugene Worlds in 2022, having taken silver at nationals, twice placing behind Lyles.
According to Lyles, his young rival lacked experience last year: “in his second year as a professional athlete, I don’t know if he was able to manage” this status among the favorites, even if he had finished fourth in the Olympic 200m final in Tokyo in 2021. If the threat Erriyon Knighton will be greater in Budapest, Lyles does not intend to lose his status as No. 1 in the 200 meters in favor of his younger brother. That status “I’ve held for a very long time and I knew it’s something I wouldn’t allow others to take,” he said.
While some already see a great rivalry between Knighton and him, Lyles rejects this idea. “Why worry about two people when there are eight with stories to tell? Rivalries are fun, but they can disappear in a day,” he said. In 2023, Lyles has nothing to do with the athlete who admitted to suffering from depression in 2020. “I feel much better than in 2021 and in 2020,” explained the sprinter.
