by Larry EderOne of the key lessons from Doha 2019 was that the sport has a plethora of global stars. One of the major stars is Noah Lyles. In Doha, Noah Lyles took the 200m in style, taking 19.83 seconds to take gold in the furlong.
The whispers about Noah’s talent began in 2016, at the Olympic Trials. His move to adidas as a pro athlete, and his move to coach Lance Braumann meant that Noah would be developing in good hands. In 2017, Noah pulled out of the 200m semis in USATF. Lance and his team had noted a muscle issue that needed another week to heal. Coach Braumann told me weeks later to watch the Diamond League final as Noah would be there. Noah won the Diamond League 200m at the end of 2017.
His 2018 season was fantastic, taking the 100m in the nationals, and winning the Diamond League again at the 200m.
2019 showed two PBs, 9.86 in a win over Christian Coleman on 18 May 2019 in Shanghai, and a stunning 19.50 at 200m in Lausanne on 5 July 2019. At the US championships, Noah Lyles took on Christian Coleman in the 200m (he had decided not to double), and won in a rainy 19.78.
200m final, Doha, Qatar, photo by PhotoRun.net
The 200m final in Doha was not as fast as some would expect, but, it was deadly competitive. Andre De Grasse was back, with a Canadian chip on his shoulder, and was not going to make it easy. Alex Quinonez of Ecuador is a stylish, dangerous sprinter, and Adam Gemili is always tough. Noah Lyles had to rise above the questions he had, listen to his coach and execute, which he did, pulling away in the final 30 meters, his turf.
The 4x100m pass was not perfect, but it was safe. Noah Lyles took it home in 37.10m. With a little more finesse, the time could be down around 37 seconds or below.
200m PB, Noah Lyles, Lausanne, photo by PhotoRun.net
Noah Lyles loves to entertain. He is open to the media and he is a fun interview. (see a text interview we will post, this coming week).
This interview was done in the adidas HQ in Doha, and the A/C had cut out. Noah Lyles was in wonderful spirits, but his PR team had put a limit on our audio interview of less than ten minutes. It is a good interview. Kindly, Noah Lyles told us how much he enjoys RunBlogRun interviews. Perhaps we will find a little more time at our next gathering.
