Noah Lyles responded to his first outdoor 200m defeat in three years with his fastest time ever, a 19.50 bettered only by Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Michael Johnson.
Lyles cemented himself as the world’s dominant half-lapper in Lausanne on Friday with the world’s fastest 200m since Usain Bolt‘s 2012 Olympic title. It’s the eighth fastest in history overall, and it came into a slight headwind.
Incredible time. Impeccable timing for a statement race.
Lyles lost to fellow 21-year-old American Michael Norman in his last 200m in Rome on June 6 (19.70 to 19.72), blemishing his sterling record since finishing fourth at the 2016 Olympic trials and turning pro out of high school.
On Friday, Lyles wore socks inspired by the Japanese superhero manga series My Hero Academia. “It’s time to go Plus Ultra,” he posted on social media before the meet, referencing the motto of the hero academy U.A. High School.
Next up for Lyles is a Diamond League 100m in Monaco next Friday against world champion Justin Gatlin.
Lyles has said he will race strictly the 200m at the USATF Outdoor Championships in two weeks, where the top three per event are in line to make the team for this fall’s world championships, but with every super sprint many are calling for him to double in the 100m and 200m.
Lyles is the joint-second-fastest man in the world this year in the 100m at 9.86 seconds, trailing only Christian Coleman. Norman is not expected to enter the 200m at nationals (his focus is the 400m), clearing the path for Lyles to easily qualify in that event.
Full Lausanne results are here.
In other events, Gatlin earned his first Diamond League 100m victory since Lausanne two years ago, pulling away and shutting it down in 9.92. The 37-year-old clocked 9.92 seconds, breaking 10 for the second straight week.
Gatlin was runner-up to Coleman at the Pre Classic on Sunday in 9.87, his fastest time since the 2016 Olympic trials. Coleman, the fastest man in the world every year in this Olympic cycle, was not in Lausanne. Gatlin has a bye into worlds as defending champion.
Double Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won the women’s 100m in 10.74, just .01 off the fastest time this year shared by Fraser-Pryce and countrywoman Elaine Thompson. Thompson, the Rio gold medalist, was not in the Lausanne field.
World silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain needed every bit of the second-fastest time in the world this year (49.17) to hold off Niger’s Aminatou Seyni, who lowered her national record from 50.24 to 49.19.
Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas, who was not in Lausanne, remains fastest this year with a 49.05. Olympic silver medalist Allyson Felix has yet to race this season as she returns from childbirth.
Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha won the 5000m after countryman Hagos Gebrhiwet miscounted the laps and sprinted to the finish line as the bell rang signaling one lap left. Gebrhiwet briefly celebrated before realizing his error and ending up 10th, 9.03 seconds behind Kejelcha’s 13:00.56.
Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot won the 1500m in 3:28.77, the fastest time in the world since Cheruiyot’s personal-best 3:28.41 last July 20. Norwegian 18-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen lowered his personal best to 3:30.16 for second place.
Poland’s Piotr Lisek upset world champion Sam Kendricks and 2018 world leader Mondo Duplantis in the pole vault. Lisek had the world’s best clearance this year, 6.01 meters.
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