EUGENE, Ore. — Noah Lyles’ audacious goal of four Olympic gold medals is starting to look a little less implausible.
The decorated American sprinter keeps on backing up his boastful talk with remarkable big-race performances.
Lyles preserved hope of a sprint double at the Olympics on Saturday night when he roared back from behind to win the 200 meters final at the U.S. track & field trials. His world-leading time of 19.53 seconds broke a 28-year-old U.S. Olympic Trials record and was just over two tenths of a second shy of the American record he set at world championships in 2022.
Lyles needed to run a speedy time to overtake Kenny Bednarek over the final 25 meters of the race. Bednarek lowered his personal best to 19.59 seconds, but settled for second place behind Lyles when his legs tightened up just before the finish line.
Joining Lyles and Bednarek in punching their ticket to Paris was Erriyon Knighton, who claimed third place in 19.77 seconds. Christian Coleman settled for fourth place, missing the Olympics by a single spot just like he did in the 100 meters final at Trials last Sunday.
