Paris 2024: Noah Lyles qualifies for Olympic Games with 100m personal-best time of 9.83 seconds
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Published 24/06/2024 at 16:12 GMT
Reigning world champion Noah Lyles has qualified for the Olympics thanks to an electrifying 9.83-second 100m win at the US Olympic track trials. The 26-year-old, who specialises in the 200m, edged Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley in the final, with all three making the trip to Paris next month. Lyles will race for the 200m spot, where he is the overwhelming favourite, next weekend.
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Noah Lyles has booked his spot at Paris 2024 after claiming the 100m title at the US Olympic trials.
The 26-year-old overcame a slow start to storm home with a time of 9.83 seconds, matching his personal best in the 100m.
After his win, Lyles said the second half of the race was a big point of focus.
“This was basically the plan, and the plan is working right now,” Lyles said. “When I got to the final, it was like we are not only going to win from the 60 [metre point], we're gonna keep going. Let's see what we do from that point.
“Every step I took, it felt correct and I felt well in my positions. We got to the acceleration phase and my hips came through and I didn't feel like I had to press very hard. I felt like my knees were going straight into the track. They were directly underneath me. Every step I took felt more powerful than the last. So I'm like, 'I got this race.'"
Lyles finished ahead of 200m specialist Kenny Bednarek and 2022 world champion Fred Kerley, with all three qualifying for next month’s Olympics in Paris.
Christian Coleman, who won the world title in 2019, was not able to capitalise on a strong start and finished in fourth, narrowly missing out on Olympics qualification.
The Paris Games will be Lyles’ second Olympics after winning bronze in the 200m in Tokyo, which he saw as a major disappointment.
He will race for a spot in the 200m next weekend, an event in which he is the overwhelming favourite.
Lyles, who took glory at the World Championships last year in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, is stronger across the longer distance, but has shown that the 100m is far from a weakness.
"It's just more confidence,” Lyles said. “More confidence all the way. Came out here [and] tied my [PB]. It's everything that I want moving forward."
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