ATHLETICS
“Three golds and Usain Bolt’s world record″ - Noah Lyles sets goals
American sprinter Noah Lyles takes to the track at the World Championships in Budapest with history making in mind.
Noah Lyles, the 26-year old from Gainesville, Florida, aspires to be the headline act of the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Ahead of the Budapest event, the sprinter, a staunch defender of the civil rights of African-Americans who raises his voice against racism and defends the importance of focusing on the mental health of athletes, is the spearhead of a very powerful Team USA. And he is confident he can bring home the medals from Hungary.
Noah Lyles expects three medals in Budapest
“I am ready to secure a medal in the 100 meters, with the color being of no concern to me, and to win the 200 meters.” Lyles says. “However, my primary ambition in Budapest is to achieve three gold medals [including the 4x100 relay] while surpassing Usain Bolt’s world record in the 200 meters.”
“I’m a firm believer in speaking things into existence. Truly ... I don’t have a problem saying what my dreams are.”
Lyles has even recently gone as far as saying ‘I will run 9.65, 19.10′ which he posted on Instagram along with the hashtag #Budapest2023.
These extraordinary objectives would undoubtedly ensure his ascent to the top of both podiums and establish him as the fastest man in history in the 200 meters, and second only to Bolt’s 9.58 seconds in the 100 meters.
Targeting Bolt records: “everything would have to align”
Lyles has etched into his memory the 19.19-second record of the Jamaican sprinter in the 200-meter race, and last year at the World Championships in Eugene, he achieved a time of 19.31 seconds, the third-best time ever recorded. Despite holding in his mind that Budapest will be the venue where he will surpass this mark, Noah is also aware of the difficulty of it.
‘Breaking that world record is possible, but everything would have to align for it to happen. It would have to be in the perfect race, under the right conditions,’ he told AS.
The assault begins on Saturday with the start of the 100-meter heats (with the semifinals and final on Sunday), and even though the feat is considered exceedingly challenging, there are legends like Michael Johnson who believe in it.
“Noah must believe that the 200-meter world record is attainable. His maximum speed on the straight has dramatically improved in recent years. He needs to figure out how to reach that maximum speed on the curve. That’s where the opportunity lies,” said the four-time Olympic medalist and now television commentator.
The 200-meter event will commence its heats on Wednesday, 25 August. However, for Lyles’ goal of securing a medal in the 100 meters as well, there are significant obstacles to overcome, given the vast array of sprinters he is up against.
Notable among them are the British sprinter Hughes, the Kenyan Omanyala, the Italian Jacobs, the American Kerley, and the Botswanan Tebogo.