It was expected, Noah Lyles responded. After pulling out the mythical white dragon with blue eyes from his sleeve, the American sprinter paid the ultimate tribute to the manga Yu-Gi-Oh! by drawing the supreme card, Exodia the Cursed, before the 100m final in Eugene.
It was a good thing for him: Lyles won the race in 9”83, equaling his personal best, and heads into the Paris Olympics with a solid benchmark for the distance over which he will vie for gold. “I’m ready,” smiled the triple world champion in Budapest last summer (100m, 200m, 4x100m) who will aim for an unprecedented quadruple in Paris while hoping for selection in the 4x400m.
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Lyles « s’amuse »
This former 200m specialist, disappointed by his bronze medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021, is so far flawless in his quest for Olympic gold which is missing from his record. “This year is completely different from the year of the Tokyo Games in 2021. Covid stopped us in our progress the year before. In 2023, I had an incredible year and built the confidence for this year. In 2021, I also suffered more stress due to depression, while normally I don’t feel pressure because I’m having fun,” he explained. And you can feel it on the track.
In Eugene, he beat Kenny Bednarek (9”87, record), usual 200m specialist, and Olympic vice-champion Fred Kerley (9”88), all three qualifying for the 100m at the Olympics.
The 2019 world champion Christian Coleman, fourth in 9”93, is a victim of the density of the American sprint and will have to be content in a little over a month with the 4×100 m relay in Paris after having already missed the Tokyo Games in 2021, when he was suspended for violations of his anti-doping whereabouts.
