Noah Lyles sets sights on four gold medals at Paris Olympics

Noah Lyles set the world's best record of the season in the men's 200-meter track event, securing his spot in the Paris Olympics. Lyles is expected to aim for four gold medals at the Paris Olympics, which begins on July 26.

On Sunday, at the U.S. Track and Field Trials held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Lyles won the men's 200-meter final with a time of 19.53 seconds. This time, they shortened the season's best record, set by Kenny Bednarek in the semifinals the previous day, by 0.07 seconds. Bednarek finished second with 19.59 seconds, and Erriyon Knighton secured third place with 19.77 seconds, both earning their tickets to the Paris Olympics.

Having also won the men's 100-meter game with a time of 9.83 seconds, Lyles is aiming for multiple gold medals at the Paris Olympics. According to the Associated Press, Lyles may challenge for four gold medals at the Paris Olympics in the 100-meter, 200-meter, 4x100-meter relay, and even the 4x400-meter relay.

He won the 200-meter competition at the World Championships in Doha in 2019, Eugene in 2022, and Budapest in 2023, achieving a three-peat, but he has yet to win an Olympic gold medal. His best Olympic result was third place in the 200-meter event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Lyles said, "If I had won the 200-meter at the Tokyo Olympics, I might have stagnated. The disappointing result at the Tokyo Olympics motivated me."


Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com