Olympics-Athletics-Lyles eases through 200m heat in bid for sprint double

By Mitch Phillips

PARIS (Reuters) - Less than 24 hours after winning 100 metres gold, Noah Lyles began his quest for the prestigious Olympic sprint double by cruising through his 200m heat on Monday in 20.19 seconds.

The American has always been stronger over the longer distance, where he is unbeaten in 25 races dating back to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 when he came third, and he has won the last three world titles.

Lyles is targeting a possible four golds in Paris, in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and, possibly, the 4x400m relay. That would emulate illustrious compatriots Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis, who achieved the feat at a single Games but with long jump instead of the longer relay.

"It feels good to be out here," Lyles told reporters. "It was in my head win the 120, win the 150, check around, win the heat."

Asked what life had been like since his photo-finish victory, he said: "I've been trying to get some sleep with my phone going off constantly. Right now I've got to rush over and get my medal."

Following him home in 20.30 was defending champion Andre de Grasse of Canada, the last man to beat him.

American Kenny Bednarek, silver medallist ahead of Lyles in Tokyo and runner-up to him at the 2022 worlds, shut down early but still clocked the fastest time with 19.96.

He too went well in Sunday’s 100m final, though his 9.88 was good enough only for seventh.

"I’m on a mission for this 200," he said. "What happened yesterday happened. I’m taking it day by day."

Erriyon Knighton, world championship silver and bronze medallist as a teenager, made sure there would be three Americans in the semi-finals by winning his heat in 19.99, the only other sub-20 time on a warm Paris evening.

Now 20, Knighton will seek to deliver on the biggest stage after seemingly being the next big thing for years but never quite reaching the top step.

Botswana's Letsile Tebogo, sixth in Sunday’s 100m final in a national record 9.86 and a bronze medallist over 200m in last year’s world championships, cruised his heat in 20.10.

Wayde van Niekerk, the 400m world record holder and former world championship silver medallist over 200m, made it as the third automatic qualifier from the first heat in 20.42 having opted the skip the one-lap event in Paris.

"The decision (to run only the 200) was purely based on getting back to a space of enjoying the sport," said the South African. "Finding peace in a sport that has helped me so much.

"If I look at my performance so far, I'm obviously well off the top tier guys. I’m going to have to pull a rabbit out of the hat to get among the top three."

(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ed Osmond)