Noah Lyles, the American sprinter, roared to victory in a remarkable men’s world championships 100m race held in Budapest on Sunday, showcasing the United States continued dominance in track and field’s premier event in the post-Usain Bolt era.
Lyles, a holder of two world 200m titles with a pursuit of a third in the Hungarian capital, clocked an impressive 9.83 seconds, setting the fastest 100m time of the season to secure victory at the National Athletics Centre.
Amidst his jubilation and dance moves upon seeing his win confirmed on the big screen, Lyles exclaimed, “They said it couldn’t be done. They said I wasn’t the one. But I thank God I am.”
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, a 20-year-old talent, secured silver with a photo-finish time of 9.88 seconds, just ahead of Anguilla-born Briton Zharnel Hughes.
Ferdinand Omanyala, Kenya’s Commonwealth champion, finished in seventh place with a time of 10.07 seconds. Lyles’ triumph marked the fourth consecutive American gold in the men’s 100m, following the victories of Justin Gatlin in London in 2017, Christian Coleman in Doha two years later, and Fred Kerley in Eugene the previous year.
Usain Bolt, having claimed three titles, last secured his victory in Beijing in 2015 before retiring after earning bronze in London two years later.
The final in Budapest, widely regarded as the most open in two decades, experienced further upheaval during the dramatic semi-finals held earlier in the evening.
Neither reigning champion Fred Kerley nor Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs managed to secure a spot in the final eight, paving the way for Lyles to seize his opportunity.
Amid sultry conditions and a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit), Lyles occupied lane six, positioned outside of Hughes, with Coleman to his left.
While Coleman, the 2019 champion who missed the Tokyo Olympics due to an 18-month suspension, achieved a strong start, Lyles gradually closed in on him with a powerful drive phase over the final 60 meters.
As Coleman’s performance waned, Tebogo, a two-time world under-20 champion, delivered an outstanding race to secure silver. Hughes secured bronze by a margin of three-thousandths of a second against Jamaican athlete Oblique Seville. Coleman finished fifth with a time of 9.92 seconds.
Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown improved upon his seventh-place performance from Eugene last year, securing a sixth place, while in-form Commonwealth champion Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya finished seventh, closely followed by Jamaican Ryiem Forde.
