American sprinter Noah Lyles ties Usain Bolt's record for most career sub-20 second 200m races
Noah Lyles approached history Saturday.
The 25-year-old American sprinter recorded his 34th career sub-20 second 200-meter race after he won the 2023 New York City Grand Prix with a time of 19.83 seconds. That also marked Lyles' 11th win this season.
“It’s not perfect, but it was very fun,” Lyles told NBC after the race.
That mark tied Usain Bolt's career record. Lyles' time also ranked third-fastest in the event behind Bolt's world record of 19.19 seconds from 2009 and Yohan Blake's 19.26 from 2011.
.@LylesNoah can't be stopped!
He cruises to victory with a 19.83 200m. pic.twitter.com/ou5pK2JoRR— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 24, 2023
Lyles has been on a tear for his entire professional career. He's a three-time world champion, four-time Diamond League final winner and won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics since he went pro in 2016.
This was Lyles' second sub-20-second finish this season after he did it 11 times in 2022. He'll have a chance to break Bolt's record if he enters another meet this summer. Upcoming options into the Diamond League in London on July 23 or the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in mid-to-late August.
