TOKYO (AP) 鈥 Noah Lyles had a simple message about his favorite race, the 200 meters.
鈥淚 don’t plan to lose,鈥 he said.
Anyone who calls that brash, arrogant or unsportsmanlike would fit right in with the sprinters trying to prove him wrong at world championships this week.
There’s been a lot of chirping, and at least one not-well-received glare over the past year in sprinting’s longer and sometimes less-appreciated race. The 200 meters has become a three-man drama between Lyles, the three-time defending world champion, along with his American counterpart Kenny Bednarek and Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo.
Opening heats for the 200 start Wednesday, with the title being settled Friday. Though all three runners were in the 100, it’s the 200 that’s their specialty and that has overtaken the shorter race as the marquee sprint of these worlds 鈥 and maybe the next ones and the Los Angeles Olympics, too.
鈥淪ports breeds tension, it breeds competitiveness,鈥 Lyles said. 鈥淚f there’s only one goal and multiple people, you can’t be all nice and smiling and say 鈥榊eah, I鈥檓 OK with somebody else winning.’ No, that’s not how it goes.鈥
A glare and a shove
Lyles and Bednarek made headlines last month when Lyles stared down his rival as he passed him at the end of the 200-meter title race at U.S. championships, then Bednarek responded by giving him a two-handed shove.
鈥淯nsportsmanlike (expletive) and I don’t deal with that,鈥 Bednarek explained in the heat of the moment after the race.
The racer nicknamed 鈥淜ung Fu Kenny鈥 also explained that he took issue with Lyles preening when he hadn’t run through the rounds in the 100 the way Bednarek had. 鈥淎 respect factor,鈥 Bednarek called it, then reminded everyone that he had beaten Lyles at the last two Olympics 鈥 they finished 2-3 in both 鈥 and 鈥渘ext time we line up, I’m going to win.鈥
A brief moment in the interview area after an early heat in this week’s 100s stood out. Lyles was talking with reporters while Bednarek breezed behind him.
鈥淕ood job, bro,” Lyles said, as he turned around and quickly slapped hands with Bednarek.
They are expected on the U.S. relay team later this week, so there’s certainly some benefit to building chemistry in a race where the American men are
But that tension has been the talk of the meet, so much so that even Usain Bolt fielded a question about trash talk early in the week.
鈥淚 don’t think Noah’s as crazy as dealing with Justin鈥 Gatlin, the American over the years, he said. 鈥淚 think Gatlin, over the years, was a different breed because he came up in an era where trash talk was just normal. For me, it wasn’t really an issue. I know when I’m prepared, and you could say whatever you want and it would never be a problem.鈥
A surprise winner from Botswana who stays under the radar
The third runner in this drama is Tebogo, a surprise winner at last year’s Olympics in a race Lyles ran despite being
Tebogo was asked, after that race, if he could see himself as a front man for track and field. He said he probably couldn’t because he wasn’t 鈥渁n arrogant or loud person like Noah.”
He later clarified, saying he and Lyles were friendly off the track but 鈥渨hen you get onto the track, it’s all about business.鈥
Earlier in these championships, when asked about the relationship with Lyles, Tebogo said he preferred to stay out of the spotlight 鈥渁nd let my legs to the talking.鈥
Regarding a widely held sentiment from that race 鈥 that Lyles would have coasted to victory had he been healthy 鈥 there is this: Tebogo won in 19.46, which was faster than Lyles has run since 2022 when he
Lyles: My 100 doesn’t always translate into my 200
All three sprinters were involved in Only Lyles ended up with a medal 鈥 a bronze after taking gold at the Olympics and the world championships before it.
Bednarek finished fourth. Tebogo, not a favorite by any means, was disqualified after a false start, and who knows if that one fewer race will play a factor in the split seconds that will decide Friday’s final?
Lyles mentioned a scenario he was asked about recently: Would he take some other color than gold in the 100 in exchange for a world record in the 200?
鈥淚 said 鈥業 think I might take the 2,鈥” Lyles said. 鈥淗alf of that comment has already come true.鈥
It’s hard to imagine Lyles, who got a late start in training this year because of a foot injury, will put Bolt’s 19.19 in jeopardy over the next three days of racing at Tokyo National Stadium.
But he says his 100 and 200 don’t always correlate.
Also, Lyles, very much like Bolt before him, once said he considers the 200 his 鈥渨ife鈥 and the 100 more like his 鈥渕istress.鈥
The American had three world titles in this race, though, as Bednarek took pleasure in reminding everyone, those bronze medals from the last two Olympics 鈥 the first of which came four years ago in Tokyo 鈥 will always be part of his resume.
鈥淯sually when I have my best 200 years, my hundreds aren’t as fast,鈥 Lyles said. 鈥淭here’s a lot of excitement going on in the 200. Obviously, I have the energy. Obviously, I have the motivation. I plan to go out there in full force and jump off the cliff, so to say, with all the enthusiasm in this race.鈥
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