Noah Lyles

Background

Since he was just a kid, it was clear that Noah Lyles was destined for greatness. Along with his brother, Josephus, Noah was consistently the best short sprinter of his age, winning race after race, not just in Virginia, but around the world.

In 2014, Noah took gold over 200 meters at the Youth Olympic Games in China. A year later, Noah took first in the US junior championships and then took home gold for Team USA over 200m at the Pan American Junior Championships in Canada.

Perhaps most notably, in his final race as a high school senior, Noah finished an incredible fourth in the final of the 200m at the 2016 US Olympic Trials, just missing a spot in Rio. His time of 20.09 broke the national high school record, set 31 years earlier.

Noah’s final competition of the 2016 season was at the World Under-20 Championships in Poland, where he took home gold in the 100m and anchored Team USA home to first in the 4x100m Relay. Following his gold medal wins in Poland, Noah turned professional and signed a long-term endorsement contract with adidas.

In March 2017, Noah won his first senior national title, taking first over 300m at the US Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Noah's winning time of 31.87 broke the previous world record of 31.88 set back in 2006.

Though injury prevented him from competing at the IAAF World Championships, Noah was able to return to competition by the end of the 2017 season. In his final race of the year, he defeated the world champion to win the 2017 IAAF Diamond League overall title at 200m.

Fully healthy in 2018, Noah was virtually unstoppable. At 100m, Noah won the US Championships in a lifetime best 9.88sec. At 200m, Noah went undefeated, running a world-leading 19.65 and breaking 19.70 three times. For his phenomenal season, Noah was named the 2018 Jesse Owens Award winner, given to the USA's most outstanding track and field athlete of the year.

Not missing a step from the previous season, Noah began 2019 in top fashion, winning his first IAAF Diamond League 100m race in Shanghai in a new lifetime best of 9.86 seconds. That July, Noah improved his 200m best to 19.50, making him the fourth-fastest man in history. He also won his first US outdoor title over 200m, as well as his first IAAF Diamond League title at 100m, making him the first man to win IAAF Diamond League titles at 100m and 200m.

At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Noah capped off his season with his first world title, winning gold in the men's 200m and then anchoring Team USA to its first 4x100m relay gold in twelve years and a new American record.

In a limited 2020 season, Noah was again the world's dominant 200m runner, winning all of his races and ending the year with the fastest time in the world. The following year, Noah won the 200m at US Olympic Trials in dominating fashion, in a world-leading 19.76, qualifying for him for his first Olympic Games. At Tokyo 2020, Noah won the Olympic bronze medal in the 200m in 19.76, equaling his season best. In his final race of 2021, Noah demolished a world-class field at the Prefontaine Classic, winning the 200m in 19.52, the fastest time run in 2021 and the second-fastest of his career.

For 2022, Noah took back right where he had left off: during the indoor season, Noah won major races over 60m in both New York and England, proving that as much as he’s known for his speed endurance, that his acceleration would be just as formidable. For the outdoor season, Noah put together arguably the best 200m season ever run: he went undefeated over 200m for the entire season, winning his second world championships 200m gold in 19.31, breaking Michael Johnson’s American record that had stood since 1996 and making him the third-fastest man in history. Noah closed out his 2022 season with a win at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zürich in 19.51 and recording five of the thirteen fastest times ever run.

In 2023, Noah enjoyed a nearly flawless campaign the culminated with him winning the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. The following winter, Noah won his first USATF national title at 60m and took home silver medals from the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in both the 60m and as a member of Team USA's 4x400m relay team.

The following year, Noah surprised the athletics world with the longest and most successful indoor campaign of his career. At the USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, Noah won his first US indoor title at 60m in a lifetime best of 6.43A. Two weeks later at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Noah took silver in the final of the 60m and came back the following day to earn a silver medal as part of Team USA's 4x400m relay squad.

That summer, Noah won the 100m and 200m at the US Olympic Trials and entered the Paris Olympics as the face of Team USA in track and field. At Paris, Noah finished second in both his opening heat and semifinal of the 100m. In the final of the 100m, one of the most dramatic 100m finals in memory, Noah moved from 7th at 50m to 3rd at 70m to 2nd at 90m and finally first in the very last meter, winning the Olympic 100m gold in a lifetime best of 9.79, a mere five-thousandths of a second ahead of second-place. Four days later, while battling COVID-19, Noah finished third in the final of the 200m in a remarkable 19.70 to earn his third Olympic medal.