U.S. Sprinter Noah Lyles Fails To Win 200-Meter Qualifying Heat

United States sprinter Noah Lyles will advance to the men's 200-meter final at the 2024 Paris Olympics after securing the No. 2 slot in the semifinal heat.

The first two runners in the qualifying event punch their ticket to the final, and Lyles made that happen with a final time of 20.08 seconds. He came just behind Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo, who clocked in at 19.96 seconds.

The Florida native will not receive a medal for his participation in the 200-meter semifinal since it was a qualifying race.

Lyles will be running for gold in the 200-meter final on Aug. 8 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Lyles seemed to be running at a conservative pace in the semifinals. He's known for taking advantage of the first turn on the track, using the angle to help push him into the final leg.

While Lyles was able to move toward the inside of the track and push the pace, he seemed to have slowed down when Tebogo was making his final push.

The 27-year-old already secured his first gold medal of their Paris Olympics, winning the men’s 100-meter final just a few days ago.

Lyles is known for his abilities in the 200-meter track race, so he could be playing the long game in easing back to Tebogo on Wednesday.

Whether he fully pushed the pace at the semifinal or not, Lyles will likely head into the 200-meter final as the favorite to win gold.

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