Noah Lyles Advances To Men's 200m Final At Olympics

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Alexandria high school graduate Noah Lyles is on his way to the men's 200m final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after advancing from the semifinal.

The 24-year-old American sprinter won his heat with a time of 20.18 seconds on Tuesday morning (Monday night on Eastern Time). He was third among all sprinters in the heats, behind American Kenneth Bednarek with 20.01 seconds and Dominican Yancarlos Martinez with 20.17 seconds.

The semifinal race on Tuesday night (Tuesday morning on Eastern Time) was more of a nail biter for Lyles. He appeared to tie for third with a time of 19.99 seconds after easing his speed at the finish line. He ultimately qualified in fifth place, as the other two sprinters with a time of 19.99 had slight differences in milliseconds. Other Americans who qualified for the final were Bednarek in second place with 19.83 seconds and Erriyon Knighton in sixth with 20.02 seconds.

The men's 200m final is scheduled for 8:55 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Aug. 4. The 200m world record is 19.19 seconds, set by Jamaica's Usain Bolt at the 2009 World Championships. Bolt retired in 2017, opening the field for a new men's 200m winner in this year's Olympics.

Lyles is seen as a contender for 200m gold after Bolt's retirement. Lyles secured a spot on the Olympic team this year after missing out in 2016 by six-hundredths of a second. Before coming to the Olympics, Lyles won two world championship gold medals in 2016 for the 200m and 4x100m. He most recently won two world championship world medals for the 200m and 4x100m relay in 2019. His fastest time in the 200m was 19.50 seconds in 2019, making him the fourth-fastest man in the world in the 200m.

Knighton, 17, another American contender, smashed Bolt's 200m under-18 record at a meet earlier this year. His time of 20.11 seconds beat Bolt's 20.13 record from 2003. During this year's Olympic trials, Knighton beat Lyles in the heats and semifinal, but Lyles ultimately had the world-leading time of 19.74 seconds in the trial final.

Noah Lyles and his brother Josephus Lyles are both pro sprinters who graduated from newly-renamed Alexandria City High School. Josephus Lyles, who also competed in the Olympic trials, attended an Olympic watch party at Alexandria City High School Monday night with their mother Keisha Caine Bishop. Attendees enjoyed field day activities before cheering on Noah Lyles during a 200m heats watch party.