Noah Lyles spoke up and endorsed the speech.
The 26-year-old, already a two-time world champion in the 200m, said earlier this year that his goal at this year’s worlds is to become the first man since Usain Bolt in 2015 to record a double in the 100m. and 200 metres. in worlds.
On Sunday in Budapest, he picked up the first — and least likely — gold medal he needed to make that goal a reality, Winning the 100-meter race in an all-time best and world-leading time of 9.83 seconds.
Letsell Tebogo of Botswana took the silver in 9.88 seconds and Britain’s Zarnell Hughes won the bronze in 9.88 seconds (one thousandth behind Tebogo). Due to the success of athletes from African countries in the long-distance competitions, Tibogo is the first man from an African country to medal in the 100-meter event.
When Lyles began declaring his desire to win 100-meter gold, it seemed a long way off: While he was sensational in the 200-meter, clocking the third fastest ever in the event and losing only twice in the event in his professional career, he had never made a team. American in the 100-meter dash for a world championship.
This all changed this year.
Lyle’s third place in the 100m at the US Championships in July put him where he needed to be. He spent a great deal of time in training working on his start, which was the weakest part of his race. Getting a great start off the blocks is crucial to the 100m sprint.
He went faster and faster over the three rounds in Budapest, with 9.95 seconds in the opening round and then 9.87 seconds in the semi-final sprint.
With his gold medal hanging around his neck and the American flag draped over his shoulders, Lyles told NBC Sports’ Louis Johnson that his coach, Lance Broman, told him after the semi-finals that he didn’t have to change a thing for the finals.
When the gun went off, fellow American and 2019 Christian Coleman was off to a great start and he and Thibago were leading mid-race. But Lyles’ 200m strength and composure were assets as usual and he overtook both within 25-30m.
Coleman faded to fifth, finishing in 9.92 seconds.
An American man has won the 100-meter event four consecutive worlds, with Lyles behind Justin Gatlin in 2017, Coleman in 2019, and Fred Curley in 2022.
Lyles is favored to win the 200m, with the opening rounds in that event coming on Wednesday.
Also during the Sunday evening session, American Tara Davis Woodhull claimed her first world medal, finishing second in the long jump (6.91 metres; 22 ft, 8 in) to veteran Ivana Vuelta of Serbia, who won gold with a world leading 7.14 metres. (23-5). With living legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee cheering her on, Anna Hall took the silver in the heptathlon with 6,720 points; Britain’s Katrina Johnson-Thompson won the gold medal with a score of 6,740 points.
Hall entered the 800m, the final event of the heptathlon, and finished third overall but is a very strong 800m runner, stronger than Johnson-Thompson and Dutchman Anouk Vetter, who finished second. Hall needed to beat Johnson-Thompson by at least three seconds to get enough points to edge her out for the gold, and while she clocked 2:04.09, she pushed Johnson-Thompson to a lifetime best of 2:05.63 so she could claim it. Second World Championship (2019).
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