- American Noah Lyles, 22, won gold in the men’s 200-meter final at the world championships in Doha, Qatar, running 19.83.
- Lyles made history this year by becoming the first athlete to break 19.8 seconds five times in one year when he won the Diamond League final in Brussels on September 6.
- See more highlights from the world championships here.
On Tuesday, October 1, American sprinter Noah Lyles won gold in the men’s 200-meter final at the world championships in Doha, Qatar, running 19.83. Andre de Grasse of Canada finished second in a time of 19.95, while Alex Quiñónez of Ecuador finished third in 19.98.
“I’m just glad I got the win,” Lyles told Runner’s World. “My heart was racing, given it’s the longest year of my career. I’ve been dropping 19.8s and lower. It was the hardest race of my career and winning gold was the most important thing.”
Lyles, the reigning 200-meter U.S. champion, was a favorite to win gold from the start of the world championships. Since the 2016 Olympic Trials, the 22-year-old sprinter has had only one blemish on his record in the 200. He lost to Michael Norman on June 6 this year in Rome. Since then, Lyles claimed both the 100- and 200-meter crowns at the Diamond League Finals, the first athlete to win both titles in the same season.
Give A Gift 19.8 seconds five times in one year when he won the Diamond League final in Brussels on September 6. According to NBC Sports, world record holder Usain Bolt broke 19.7 four times in 2009—the same year that he set the world record of 19.19 at the world championships in Berlin.
In the earlier semifinals in Doha, Lyles made running under 20 seconds look much easier than it should, taking his heat in 19.86. In the final, he pulled away from the close field in the final 70 meters of the race, winning decisively in 19.83.
This is Lyles’s first IAAF World Championships medal as a pro over 20 years old (he won gold medals in the 100 meters and 4x100-meter relay at the 2016 U20 World Championships).
“This is my third attempt at a senior team and it finally came to fruition,” Lyles said. “Finally, I came out here and was able to make the 2019 team, and gosh, this was the time I felt like I was most ready. But it was also the time I was most tested. The longest year of anybody’s career, to come out here and grab that gold is nothing but greatness.”
After the victory, Lyles shared his plans to chase 100- and 200-meter gold at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
—Additional reporting by Cathal Dennehy.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
