Noah Lyles still owns the men’s 200-meter dash.
Lyles broke Michael Johnson’s national record Thursday night to repeat as world champion – and lead the second U.S. sprint sweep in six days at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Lyles, 25, crossed the line in 19.31, shattering his previous personal best of 19.50 and besting Johnson’s record – set at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta – by one hundredth of a second.
Kenny Bednarek, the reigning Olympic silver medalist, came in second in 19.77, with 18-year-old Erriyon Knighton close behind him for bronze.
Fred Kerley, Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell also gave the U.S. a sweep of the 100 over the weekend.
It’s the first time the Americans have swept both events at the same world championship, and just the second time the U.S. has swept the 200. The other was 2005, in Helsinki.
The story, however, was Lyles. It was a dominant showing from the 2021 Olympic bronze medalist, a performance that re-establishes him as the man to beat in a crowded 200-meter field and one of the biggest stars in the sport.
It looked like he had plenty of fun, too.
That matters, given the struggles that Lyles has spoken about over the past few years. He’s been honest and detailed about the way the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted him, and about falling short of his own expectations in Tokyo. This season, however, has been different.
“A totally different vibe,” Lyles said, according to the Associated Press. “If anything, it makes it more fun. I’ve been able to come out here and, I feel like, be the most ‘me’ I’ve been in years.”
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Shericka Jackson flirts with history
Meanwhile, in the women’s 200, Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson came within about a tenth of a second of a world record.
Jackson won the 2022 world title in 21.45 seconds, the second-fastest time ever – and the closest anyone has ever come to Florence Griffith Joyner’s longstanding world record. Compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took silver, and Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain won bronze.
The two Americans in the field, Abby Steiner and Tamara Clark, finished fifth and sixth, respectively.
