American sprinter Noah Lyles is poised to make history by becoming the first man since Usain Bolt to complete an Olympic sprint double, after qualifying for the 200m final at Paris 2024.
Lyles clinched the 100m gold in a nail-biting photo finish on Sunday, edging out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by a mere five-thousandths of a second.
The 27-year-old, who won three gold medals at the World Championships last year, continued his pursuit of greatness by securing his place in the 200m final, finishing second in his semi-final with a time of 20.08 seconds.
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, who clocked a blistering 19.96 seconds, set the fastest semi-finals time, while Kenneth Bednarek of the United States also posted a quicker time than Lyles with 20.00 seconds. Erriyon Knighton, Lyles’ fellow American, also advanced to the final. However, Canada’s Andre de Grasse will not defend his title, finishing third in his race with a time of 20.41 seconds.
READ MORE: Noah Lyles edges out Kishane Thompson in thrilling 100m photo finish
The men’s 200m final will take place on Thursday at 19:30 BST. Lyles, a three-time reigning world 200m champion, has already made a mark by becoming the first American to win an Olympic 100m title in 20 years.
He is set to be a strong contender for the 200m gold, aiming to follow in Bolt’s footsteps, who completed the sprint double at three consecutive Olympic Games.
Lyles’ performance at Paris 2024 could further cement his status as the dominant male sprinter of the current generation, as he looks to replicate and build upon his previous successes.
