"I gave up trying to break the 200m World Record in Budapest' - Noah Lyles

Noah Lyles has sent Usain Bolt a stiff warning with regards to his 200m world record

"I gave up trying to break the 200m World Record in Budapest' - Noah Lyles

Funmilayo Fameso 13:11 - 12.09.2023

Noah Lyles has confirmed that winning the 100m and 200m titles at the World Championships in Budapest wasn't easy, and had to give up on breaking Usain Bolt's 200m World Record.

World 200m champion Noah Lyles has detailed what it felt like trying to break legendary Usain Bolt's World Record of 19.19s at the World Championships in Budapest.

Lyles went to Budapest with intentions of claiming three gold medals, which he did achieve by winning his first 100m world title, successfully defending his 200m title, and anchoring Team USA to the top of the world in the men's 4x100m relays.

By doing this, he joined an elite league of athletes to attain such a feat after Bolt and the first American to win three gold medals at the same world championships since Tyson Gay and Allyson Felix in 2007.

Noah Lyles reveals giving up trying to break Usain Bolt's 200m World Record in Budapest
Noah Lyles won three gold medals at the World Championships in Budapest

Despite his iconic performances in Budapest, Lyles failed to achieve one vital goal he bragged about doing before the championship - smashing Bolt's 200m WR of 19.19s with a new 19.10s.

The 26-year-old speedster, in an interview with Chris Cohen for gq.com, opened up about why he gave up going after the record, which boiled down to getting his breakthrough in the 100m.

"I'd say the only thing I really gave up on was really trying to go after the world record in the 200. There was such awareness that I could break it, but I also knew that in doing this double, there was a huge chance that I might not have the energy to actually break the record. I never doubted that I would win the 200, but I doubted that the time would be under 19:19," said Lyles.

With this revelation, the legendary supremacy of Bolt needs to be appreciated again, having broken the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m World Record at Beijing 2008 Olympics and Berlin 2009 World Championships.

Notwithstanding, Lyles remains the best talent to go after the 200m WR as he has been the most consistent in the past two years, and his lifetime best of 19.31s is the third-fastest in history.  

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