BUDAPEST, Hungary: When Noah Lyles powered into the straightaway and started pulling away in the 200-meter final, only a few questions remained on a night when track's best sprinters backed up the hype at world championships.
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He came, He saw, He conquered.@LylesNoah completes the sprint double and storms to his 3rd consecutive 200m gold 🥵#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/yQBfEe3jAY
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 25, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">He came, He saw, He conquered.@LylesNoah completes the sprint double and storms to his 3rd consecutive 200m gold 🥵#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/yQBfEe3jAY
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 25, 2023He came, He saw, He conquered.@LylesNoah completes the sprint double and storms to his 3rd consecutive 200m gold 🥵#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/yQBfEe3jAY
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 25, 2023
None of them had to do with whether he would win.
The man who wants to someday be more than a mere sports star stayed on that trajectory Friday in a 19.52-second runaway to become the first man to complete the 100-200 sprint double at worlds since Usain Bolt did it for the third time back in 2015.
This was Lyles' third straight world championship in his better race, the 200.
As for the biggest questions left: Will he meet his stated goal of 19.10 seconds in the 200, and can he reach superstar status at the Olympics — well, those answers will be teased out over the 11 1/2 months between now and the Paris Games.
"I think I've said a lot of times that I want to transcend the sport," said Lyles, who is currently the subject of two documentaries and arguably the most engaging character in track. "I am the guy who wants to move past just being 'track famous.'"
A huge part of that, of course, is getting the work done on the oval. Consider that done, at least for now. The 26-year-old American surprised pretty much everyone but himself by winning the 100 last weekend. Then, he came out and worked on his specialty, the 200.
"The 100 is fun," Lyles said. "But the 200, you know, this one is personal to me."
The same might be said for Jamaica's Shericka Jackson, who ran the second fastest time in history, a 21.41, to win her second straight title at 200 meters. Four days after taking second in the 100, Jackson beat American Gabby Thomas by .4 seconds and three steps in the 200, with Sha'Carri Richardson taking bronze to go with her gold in the 100.
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21.41 😱
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 25, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
🇯🇲's @sherickajacko smashes her 200m championship record 🚀#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/MLShWeXdR1
">21.41 😱
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 25, 2023
🇯🇲's @sherickajacko smashes her 200m championship record 🚀#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/MLShWeXdR121.41 😱
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 25, 2023
🇯🇲's @sherickajacko smashes her 200m championship record 🚀#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/MLShWeXdR1
Florence Griffith-Joyner's record of 21.34 is nearly 35 years old and Jackson has now run in the 21.4s twice — this adding to the 21.45 she ran at last year's worlds. With Thomas, who has a 21.60 on her resume, and now Richardson there to push her, there's a sense Flo-Jo's mark could be ready to go in Paris.
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🇯🇵 strikes gold in the javelin throw! @giant_babyparu saves the best for last 💪#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/giUuxwmV2C
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 25, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">🇯🇵 strikes gold in the javelin throw! @giant_babyparu saves the best for last 💪#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/giUuxwmV2C
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 25, 2023🇯🇵 strikes gold in the javelin throw! @giant_babyparu saves the best for last 💪#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/giUuxwmV2C
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 25, 2023