EUGENE, Ore. — Noah Lyles cruised to the final of his best event, the men’s 200 meters, Friday evening at Hayward Field, putting the fastest man in America in a position to compete for multiple medals in Paris.
Lyles clocked 19.60 to win his semifinal heat, then gave a “who, me?” look to the camera when his time flashed on screen, drawing laughter.
“That felt real easy,” Lyles said post-race on the NBC broadcast. “I was very shocked to see that time pop up. I wasn’t even really trying. Shut down pretty hard at the end, too.”
Christian Coleman finished second behind Lyles at 19.89, and Robert Gregory was third at 19.98. The 200 final of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials is scheduled for Saturday at 9:49 p.m. ET (6:49 local). It is the last event of the day.
Lyles, Coleman, Erriyon Knighton (19.93) and Kenny Bednarek (19.96) had the fastest qualifying times in the semifinals.
Lyles ran Friday in lane six, just two lanes removed from his younger brother Josephus Lyles, who finished fourth in 20.37.
“It’s always a blessing,” Noah Lyles said of running with his brother. “It’s hard to make it here. He puts a lot of pressure on himself, but he’s doing something many human beings can’t do and that’s make it to the top 100 (fastest) in the world. How many people can sit at home and say they are in the top 100 of best in the world at anything?”
Noah Lyles qualified for the 2024 Games last week when he won the 100 in 9.83, matching his personal best.
The 26-year-old owns just one Olympic medal, a bronze in the 200 that he won in Tokyo. He has said he does not like that bronze and wants to win medals to take its place this summer in Paris. He rolled into the season with plenty of confidence after winning gold in the 100, 200 and 4×100 relay at the 2023 world championships in Budapest last summer.
The most charismatic star in a sport desperate for national attention, Lyles is in the middle of a bet with shot-putter Chase Ealey a friend who, like Lyles, loves anime. The two have been trading unorthodox introductions during their respective events in an attempt to build hype around both their events and the sport overall.
Contributing: Tyler Dragon
Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Olympic track trials: Noah Lyles, Christian Coleman into 200 final
