Not Just Final Race, Noah Lyles Also Won Over POTUS Visit at Atlanta Games

Noah Lyles is pulling out all the heavy artillery from his stacked arsenal with the 2024 Olympics only 68 days away. The reigning world champion has been making big claims about taking away Usain Bolt’s high pedestal in Paris and he isn’t pulling any stops. Only yesterday, Lyles dubbed British sprinter Zharnel Hughes as “cute” when asked about how he saw the former as a competition, and now, the 26-year-old put his money where his mouth is.

The men’s 150m race was the last event of the 2024 Atlanta City Games. With a staked lineup including Noah, his brother Josephus, and Hughes, the race was anticipated to offer some exhilarating moments. Considering how Atlanta was also the center of attention thanks to a visit from the world’s most powerful man, the Atlanta Games didn’t disappoint, either.

Noah Lyles battles multiple adversities to pick up a major victory

A recent post by RunBlogRun on X shared the results from Lyles’ latest sprint. Shedding light on the fact that Noah and the track and field tournament had to overcome bigger challenges than just organizing the event, the post’s caption reads, “The adidas Atlanta City Games battled challenging weather (it stayed away) and a visit by the current U.S. President to Atlanta, but the fans came, and the athletes performed.”

President Joe Biden arrived in Atlanta for a campaign, a day before his commencement address at Morehouse College. However, for track fans, that wasn’t the highlight of the day.

Despite the formidable threat from Hughes, Lyles managed to keep his head in the game and even picked up his personal best time in the 150m sprint. “The last event of the day, the Men’s 150 meters, saw Noah Lyles hold off Zarnel Hughes and Josephus Lyles, with Noah Lyles taking the win in 14.42 PB“, informs the post further.

Hughes came in second with 14.66 on the clock, while Noah’s younger sibling once again failed to register a victory over his internationally acclaimed brother as Josephus crossed the finishing line in fourth place (14.89). With this victory, Noah bolstered his claims for a major medal haul on the banks of the Seine.

Lyles’ stately plans shaping up

Over the last few months, Lyles has been seen bubbling with enthusiasm and confidence. After his stellar performance at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Lyles hasn’t been holding back on his grand plans for the upcoming Games. A couple of months ago in an interview, the sprinter revealed that he’s eyeing gold medals in all 4 events (100m, 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m) at the Paris Olympics. Not only that, but his indications of harboring thoughts of snatching away Usain Bolt’s elite status haven’t gone unnoticed. Even before the Atlanta Games, Noah underscored that with each of his performances, he’s inching closer to Bolt’s 100m record.

While Lyles was handed a defeat at the World Indoor Championships by Christian Coleman, the former was quick to make his outdoor season debut a success with a win at the Tom Jones Memorial, which he followed up with another gold at the Bahamas World Relays.

Furthermore, after his national teammate Kenny Bednarek picked up the world lead in the men’s 200m race at the Doha Diamond League, Lyles joked that the achievement would only last till they meet on the tracks at the European metropolitan. With Fred Kerley also claiming to be coming for the world record in his next appearance at the 100m dash, Lyles was unfazed.

Come August, the five-time Diamond League winner will have to face off against some of the fastest names on the planet in both the 100m and the 200m events. Now, only time will tell if his boastful claims have any bit of weightage to them or if they will prove to be only hollow words on the big stage.