Breaking news: Noah Lyles just lost a 200m race. Lyles is twice a world champion over the distance and had won his last 26 races. But on a still-warm evening at the Stade de France, the American sprint king was beaten to the line in this Olympic semi-final by African champion Letsile Tebogo.
Perhaps it is more accurate to say Lyles finished second, rather than lost, given he comfortably qualified for Thursday night’s final. Both men eased up in the last 20m with the finish in sight and energy to conserve. But they were flat out around the bend, where Tebogo burned into the lead, and perhaps it was a sign that Lyles will not have it all his own way.
Only four men have won the triple of 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold at the same Olympic Games. After winning the 100m crown by five thousandths of a second on Monday night, Lyles is bidding to join a list of American greats: Jesse Owens (1936), Bobby Morrow (1956), who made sprinting look like a light jog in the park, and Carl Lewis (1984). And, of course, Usain Bolt (2012 and 2016).
Relays are an unpredictable business, but if USA get the baton round cleanly then they should have too much for the reigning Olympic champions, Italy , as well as Canada, Britain and the rest. The question is whether Lyles will be on the startline with two gold medals already around his neck.
Ever the humble champion, Lyles revealed he was a little tired after staying up watching himself win 100m gold on YouTube. “Last night I didn’t get to bed until 2.45am, I couldn’t stop watching the race. But I was up by 7am – my body’s got this damn clock that wakes up then because that’s when practice is every day.”
He knows he is a marked man when he takes to the start line.
“I know a lot of people are trying to make a move on me. I know they are going to try to set themselves up to win it. But I am going to win the race at 120m, I am going to win at 150m, and from there I am going to take the race to the line.”
Not if Tebogo can help it. The 21-year-old Botswanan has a stack of age-group records including the fastest 200m time ever by a teenager. He was the only man in these three semi-finals to run under 20 seconds, clocking 19.96 sec at a breeze, and his personal best of 19.50 could trouble Lyles, especially if the American gets a sluggish start.
Tebogo finished only sixth in the 100m final but the longer distance is about hitting maximum speed and maintaining it, and here he is in his element. His top speed of 27.92mph was higher than all of the other 100m finalists (Lyles ranked second with 27.84mph).
“The 100m, it’s more of a tactical race,” Tebogo said. “You have to get everything correct from the block, to your running, even timing your dip. It’s a lot of tactics. In the 200m, you know you’ve got 200m to go, where you can correct a silly mistake along the way.”
It is a poignant Games for Tebogo, whose mother died in May. “It was super tough. I lost about a month or three weeks of training, just there trying to figure out a way forward and how I could overcome the situation. I had to dig deep.”
The most impressive semi-finalist beyond those two was another American, Kenny Bednarek, the 200m specialist who won silver three years ago in Tokyo, ahead of Lyles who took bronze. Bednarek cruised through the line looking very comfortable in his white bandana as he clocked 20.00 sec. He glanced at the screen, shrugged and walked away.
“In Tokyo I was like a baby,” said the 25-year-old. “That was first year as a pro, so I was just out there running. Physically, mentally, I am more mature and that’s going to help me get the job done.”
The third semi-final was one by Erriyon Knighton, another American, who three years ago in Tokyo was being tipped as the future of sprinting when still just 17 . He finished fourth in the final there and has since lowered his personal best to 19.49. Knighton is under scrutiny after failing an anti-doping test, only to be cleared after claiming to have ingested contaminated meat.
But he will have to go some to beat Lyles, whose resurrection from dead last to the photo finish in the 100m final displayed some of his prowess for the longer distance. “It uses all my abilities,” he said. “I’ve spent years working on the 100m, but the 200m is where it’s at. This is where I get to show I am stronger than everybody else.”
If Lyles can hold off the chasing pack, he will join esteemed company in the history of American athletics. Although, he won’t quite match Lewis and Owens. They also found time to win the long jump.
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