OLYMPIC GAMES | ATHLETICS
How many male athletes have won the 100m and 200m in the same Olympic Games?
Men’s 100m champion Noah Lyles failed to join Usain Bolt in an exclusive Olympic club, as Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo took gold in the 200m in Paris.
There was disappointment for Team USA, and Noah Lyles in particular, in the men’s 200m final in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, as Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo romped to the gold medal in 19.46 seconds at the Stade de France.
With three Americans in the field, hopes were high the United States could clinch another sprinting gold medal after Lyles’ victory in the 100m last week. However, the 27-year-old (19.70) had to settle for a bronze medal, with teammate Kenneth Bednarek (19.62) claiming silver.
The third member of Team USA, Erriyon Knighton (19.99), came in fourth, 0.29 seconds behind Lyle.
Lyle’s failure to win the 200m means only nine male athletes have won both the 100m and 200m in the same Olympic Games, which has happened on 11 occasions.
Which men have done the 100m and 200m sprint double in the same Olympic Games?
- Archie Hahn, USA: 1904
- Ralph Craig, USA: 1912
- Percy Williams, Canada: 1928
- Eddie Tolan, USA: 1932
- Jesse Owens, USA: 1936
- Bobby Morrow, USA: 1956
- Valeriy Borzov, Soviet Union: 1972
- Carl Lewis, USA: 1984
- Usain Bolt, Jamaica: 2008, 2012, 2016
It might not come as a huge surprise to learn that Usain Bolt, still the record holder in both events, is the only man to have won the two events in more than one edition of the Games. In fact, the Jamaican did the sprint double three times, in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
Lyles collapsed in a heap, seemingly in exhaustion, after claiming the bronze medal and received brief medical attention. He was, however, able to make his way from the track unaided. It was later revealed he had tested positive for covid-19 days before the final, which may have impacted his performance.