"It's Championship Week!!!" - Noah Lyles hyped about the upcoming USATF Indoor Championships in New Mexico
After starting his 2024 season on a high note at the New Balance Grand Prix in Boston with a personal best of 6.44 seconds, Noah Lyles is excited about the upcoming USATF Indoor Championships in New Mexico and the 2024 World Indoors in Glasgow in March.
Lyles took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his enthusiasm. He tweeted:
"It's Championship Week!!!!!!!!"
Lyles, 26, who has six world titles and four Diamond League Final trophies, believes 2024 will be an amazing year for track and field. He is also very keen to compete at the Paris Olympics.
The American sprinter won bronze in the 200m at the Tokyo Games, and this time he is aiming for gold. Lyles told Olympics.com that he wants to try the 4x400m relay at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 and bring home four gold medals.
Lyles will race at the Track & Field trials from June 21 to 29 to qualify for a spot in Paris. He told NBC Sports:
"We're coming after everything. All the Olympic medals. I don't care who wants it. It's mine."
Noah Lyles shattered Michael Johnson and Usain Bolt's records
Lyles broke Michael Johnson's 200m record at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon. Johnson, 56, had commended the young sprinter, saying he had a great race. He said:
"He said he worked harder than he ever did. I thought he ran a great curve. And so, it was fantastic."
Lyles broke Usain Bolt's record for most 200 m races in less than 20 seconds in the 2023 Diamond League, London.
Bolt, 37, who retired in 2017, congratulated Lyles:
Lyles also celebrated a 200m victory in 19.52 seconds - the "sprint double" in Budapest.
In an interview, Lyles said:
"What a world championships. The double is done, it's done. I can talk about there's not pressure, but of course there is pressure no matter what."
He highlighted that it's different from the 100.
"The 100 is fun, but the 200 is personal for me. This is where I learned how to race and have gone against my biggest competition. This is my third one (three consecutive world championship 200m victory)."
Lyles received his third Jesse Owens Award, an annual track and field award that is the highest accolade given by USATF, joining the legendary Michael Johnson as the only man to be awarded this honor three times.