In episode 5 of Netflix’s SPRINT, Noah Lyles opens up about what his mindset was before walking into the World Championships. He had posted an image of his goals on Instagram, captioned “They say if they don’t know your dreams then they can’t shoot them down. But I have always been more of a guy who loves to hear the screams from the heaters, got a nice ring to it. #Budapest2023” While it isn’t odd for Lyles to be open about what he wants, the comments by fans were what caught his attention!
Many comments doubted his abilities, mocking him for even posting his aspirations. Noah candidly expresses, “I say I’m going to run 9.65 and 19.10. The amount of hate was astronomical. What the heck does me saying my goal have to do with you?” One fan even mentioned how the Olympic bronze medalist had started a war by simply stating what he wanted to achieve at the World Championships.
4-time Olympic medal winner Ato Boldon weighed in on the situation as well. “When Noah starts to talk, does it ruffle feathers? Of course it does.” The track and field community isn’t privy to Lyles’ goals. He’s constantly talked about the numbers he’s looking to hit. Boldon continues, “His competition, they go “He’s a 200 guy”. What makes him think that he can come into the 100 and actually make some noise?” Lyles defended his 200m title at the 2022 World Championships and did it by clocking a personal best of 19.31s.
It isn’t odd for him to better that time, and that’s what he intended to showcase as he stepped foot into Budapest. But to his dismay, the community wasn’t on the same page as him. We all know how Noah Lyles fared at the 2023 World Championships, but let’s refresh our memory and take a look at whether he defended his title yet again.
His performances at the 2023 World Championship galore
Noah Lyles has made it blatantly obvious that he’s coming for Usain Bolt’s world records. He’s been chasing the numbers for quite some time now. That is exactly the mindset he had in Budapest, too. Lyles walked on to the track, welcomed by a rousing cheer from the stands at National Athletics Centre. In a thrilling show of speed, the world champion clinched an effortless win with 9.83s on the clock. Trailing behind him were Zharnel Hughes and Letsile Tebogo who clocked in 9.88s.
Preparing to defend his 200m world title, Lyles made his way to the 200m final. He had a quick start and was battling for the win with fellow teammate Erriyon Knighton. But as they inched towards the finishing line, Lyles blazed past it, clinching a win with 19.52s. Trailing behind him with 19.75s, Knighton completed his stellar one-two victory. Despite not breaking Bolt’s record yet again, Lyles got to keep his title for the second year in a row, which is a big feat in and of itself!
While the series heavily focused on the star sprinters at the World Championships, fans also got to see a glimpse of track legend, Usain Bolt. But wait, it gets even better! Bolt was asked about the debate surrounding him and Lyles, and he had nothing but good things to say about the Olympian. He then candidly confesses, “But if he breaks the world record, I am not gonna be happy.” However, he does mention that world records are meant to be broken and ends on a fun note by saying it’s not going to be easy.
As he prepares to set foot in the French capital, Noah Lyles will be hoping for a better outcome as compared to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It’s safe to say the dream of dethroning Bolt is still as strong as ever. Fans are eagerly waiting to watch the elite sprinter to put his money where his mouth is. Will we see Noah Lyles break Bolt’s long-standing world records? We will find out in 21 days. Stay tuned!