Noah Lyles, the reigning world 100-meter champion, has taken a significant step towards the Paris Olympics. He advanced to the 100m semifinals at the US Olympic athletics trials by winning his preliminary heat in a time of 9.92 seconds on Saturday.
Lyles displayed a clear path to Sunday’s semifinals with his effortless victory at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. His performance solidified his position as the fastest overall qualifier for the semifinals. Christian Coleman, the 2019 100m world champion, finished second with a time of 9.99 seconds.
For Lyles, this is a moment of redemption after his failure to qualify for the 100m final at the Tokyo Olympics. He settled for bronze in the 200m final, despite being a strong contender. “It has been three years since we’ve been at an Olympic trials,” Lyles expressed on Saturday, acknowledging the significance of the event. “It has been a long time for a long time.”
The 26-year-old athlete has openly discussed his struggles with depression leading up to the Tokyo Olympics. “I’m glad to be happy,” Lyles shared, highlighting his current state of mind. “I’m glad to be out here. I’m glad to be racing and feeling all right with myself.”
The top five finishers in each of the five heats, along with the next two fastest runners, will advance to the semifinals. Sunday’s semifinals will determine the finalists for the event.
Following a false start by Cravon Gillespie, Lyles seized the opportunity to win his heat, defeating Kenny Bednarek by a margin of 0.08 seconds. He accomplished this with a tailwind of 0.2 meters per second. “We had a false start there. In our training, coach said reset, walk slow, don’t worry about anything. That’s what I did. I said, I’m going to get back into it. Nothing’s wrong,” Lyles explained his approach after the false start.
While Lyles didn’t challenge his season best of 9.85 or his personal best of 9.83, his focus was on a powerful start. “I had to make sure that my first 10 steps were powerful and open and after that I stood up,” Lyles described his strategy. “I knew I had the race in me. I knew I had it clear by 60 meters, which is why I ran more 60s this indoor season. And from there I just shut it down.”
Lyles’ impressive track record includes victories in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay at last year’s World Championships. He harbors aspirations for a fourth gold medal in the 4x400m relay in Paris, although his inclusion in the relay team is yet to be confirmed.
