"Yeah, I got this race in the bag, let's finish this up" - Noah Lyles opens up on final moments of the 200 m race at the U.S. Olympic Trials 

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Jul 01, 2024 03:56 GMT

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Noah Lyles booked his place in the 200m event at Paris 2024 after winning the 200m trials in Eugene. The 27-year-old clocked 19.53 seconds in the final of the US Olympic Track and Field trials, thus breaking a 28-year-old record of 19.66 seconds held by former Olympic champion Michael Johnson.

The 26-year-old from Gainesville, Florida, finished ahead of Kenny Bednarek by 0.06 seconds. Erriyon Knighton, who was running at the trials for the first time this year, after being cleared from an investigation about the drug tainted meat, finished third at the competition.

Noah Lyles spoke about his performance and said that he believed he was in control of the race once he reached the 80m mark.

"I heard Christian [Coleman], saw Kenny, and thought, 'I'm not worried, I've been in this position many times'. By the time we got to the 80-meter-mark, I was like, 'Yeah, I got this race in the bag, let's finish this up,'" the 26-year-old said as quoted by USA Today.

Noah Lyles: "I definitely thrive off pressure"

Noah Lyles posing with the gold medal and the miniature Eiffel Tower at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials 2024

The Paris Olympics will be Lyles' second appearance at the prestigious event, having previously won the 200m bronze at the Tokyo Games in 2021. Speaking of how he would fare in Paris, the 26-year-old said that he thrived off pressure.

"I definitely thrive off pressure, I thrive off big moments. The bigger the moment, the faster I run. There's no moment where I think I'm not made for it," Lyles said.

He also clocked an impressive 9.83 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials in the men's 100 m.

Noah Lyles began his individual outdoor season in 2024 on a decent note with 10.01 seconds in the 100m event at the Tom Jones Memorial. He then clocked 9.96 seconds at the Bermuda Grand Prix. He also triumphed at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston with a time of 9.85m.

The 26-year-old made his 200m debut in 2024 at the USATF New York City Grand Prix and won it after finishing the race at 19.77 seconds.

Additionally, Noah Lyles was also a part of the gold medal winning team from USA, which clocked 37.4 seconds at the World Athletics Relays held in Nassau, Bahamas during the month of May to make the cut for Paris 2024 in style.