Is Noah Lyles Faster Than Usain Bolt? Decoding the ‘Threepeat’ Champion’s Success

Noah Lyles has been nothing less than a victorious athlete who often shares updates on beating Usain Bolt’s world record. In the past several years, Noah’s effect has been steady with each meet, recently seen defending his “Three-Peat” title in the 60-meter sprint at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. Despite not being able to surpass the lightning Usain Bolt’s record last season, Lyles intends to go even faster during the outdoor season tailing it once again.

The world of athletics was left with a lacuna after Usain Bolt retired in 2017 and the next major star in the sport could be Noah Lyles. Is the 26-year-old really quicker than Usain Bolt, though?

Noah Lyles Vs Usain Bolt – survival of the fittest

Noah Lyles has begun filling Bolt’s shoes by winning a sprint treble in the 2023 World Athletics Championship in Budapest (100, 200, and 4×100 meters). This feat made him second after Jamaican legend, who achieved a triple win in 2015. However, over the 200m distance, Bolt currently holds the world record, while Michael Johnson held the USA national record from Atlanta in 1996 at 19.32, which Lyles clocked 19.31 at the 2022 World Championships.

At the London Diamond League held in July last year, American sprinter Noah Lyles officially beat Usain Bolt’s record for the most 200-meter races completed in under 20 seconds. With 34 dashes in under 20 seconds, Bolt’s career came to an end in 2017. By the end of last year, Lyles added his sub-20 200m sprint count to 39.

At the 2020 Inspiration Games, American sprinter Noah Lyles appeared to have achieved history for a brief period. In the 200-meter event, he ran a timing of 18.90 seconds, which was a full 0.21 seconds quicker than the world record established by Usain Bolt at the 2009 World Championships.

However, his official score showed a “shorter distance” as he ran 185m—also implying that the American may have started from the wrong line. So, now Lyles is putting all his efforts into tailing the much-anticipated sprint record.

Is Noah Lyles putting all his cards on the table?

Looks like Noah Lyles has devised a masterplan with popular biomechanist, Ralph Mann who’s been lending his knowledge to assist Lyles get off to a strong start after an injury. Mann maximizes Lyles’ horizontal forces in the first two steps out of the box by applying biomechanics and physics. Along with the force plates, he is also utilizing tauter angle tilts to adjust his center of gravity, which will lessen the frictional force. But with all the hype and help, doesn’t Lyles’s ultimate dream threaten the Jamaican icon?

READ MORE On His Way to Break Usain Bolt’s Record, Noah Lyles Names His First 2024 Obstacle Before Olympics

In a World Athletics update, there is a video from an Insider Track interview in which the Jamaican athlete predicted how long his records would last. Bolt remarked confidently, “Not worried about none of them.”

Could this be intended for Noah Lyles? However, with narrow misses and nearing outdoor tournaments, Lyles will ensure to set the record straight, by hook or by crook.

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