Noah Lyles Falling Out of Ranks Against Jamaican Rival in a Different Race Despite World Champion Status

In the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Noah Lyles stood atop the podium by clinching gold in the 100m event. He won the race in a time of 9.83 seconds, his personal best in the 100m discipline. In his quest for the closely fought 100m world title crown, Lyles defeated a three-way photo finish of Letsile Tebogo, Zharnel Hughes, and Oblique Seville, all of whom recorded a time of 9.88 seconds.

Interestingly, back in June, Lyles scorched to victory in the 100m at the Diamond League in Paris and clocked 9.97 seconds timeframe to trounce Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala who finished 9.98 seconds as Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo rounded out the podium in 10.05 seconds.

However, despite a stellar 2023 race season, Noah Lyles sits at a low position in the 2023 Diamond League standings. Interestingly, Lyles’ Jamaican counterpart Kishane Thompson stands in a higher spot on the list.

Noah Lyles sits at tenth in the 100m Diamond League standings

The latest Diamond League events in Xiamen meant that Noah Lyles, the reigning 100m world champion, now sits at 10th in the standings. According to a Diamond League report, last year’s world champion Fred Kerley leads the standings with 29 points, following his third-place finish in Xiamen.

Earlier in the year, Kerley also secured top spots in Rabat (Morocco) and Florence (Italy), with a second-place finish in Silesia (Poland). Yohan Blake, Letsile Tebogo, and even Jamaican rival Kishane Thompson, all lead Lyles in the 100m standings.

However, one of the main reasons for Lyles sitting at the lower half of the table is the lack of Diamond League events he has participated in. While the top half of the table has participated in at least two Diamond League events, Lyles has just taken part in one. His only 100m Diamond League outing came in Paris in June when he defeated Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala by a hundredth of a second as he stopped the clock in 9.97 seconds.

This narrow win helped Lyles register the only 8 points that he possesses on the 100m points table. If Lyles participates in the Brussels leg of the competition at King Baudouin Stadium on Friday, 8th September, there is a fair chance that he might be able to take the first cab off the rank to jump ahead to the elite circle of the top-scoring athletes, including Jamaican rival Kishane (#6). Meanwhile, the 200m Diamond League standings paint a much better picture for Lyles in comparison to the 100m.

Watch this story: Zurich’s Tracks Ready to Be Set on Fire by Shoes of Sprinters Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson and Shericka Jackson Ahead of Diamond League 2023

2023 Diamond League men’s 200m standings

Noah Lyles specializes in the 200m discipline. In fact, the track star has now successfully defended his 200m world title for three consecutive years, with his latest world title coming in Budapest.

After a dominating performance in the Hungarian capital, Lyles won again in the Zurich leg of the Diamond League, which involved a closely fought finish against fellow teammate Erriyon Knighton. Lyles finished the race in 19.80 while Knighton finished second with 19.87.

The world champion’s only other 200m Diamond League outing came in London, where he finished first against Tebogo and Hughes with a time of 19.47, which is also the world-leading time of this year in the 200m discipline. His two appearances in the 200m Diamond League have helped him reach the 4th place in the standings with 16 points while his teammate Knighton, who has three events under his name, leads the standings with 23 points.

It remains to be seen whether Lyles will appear for the Brussels event before the 2023 Diamond League finally concludes in Eugene at the end of this month.

Read more: After Destroying 19-Year-Old That Broke Usain Bolt’s Record, Noah Lyles Cleans His Spikes for Another Glory