Featured Image Credit: Hannah Peters / Staff via Getty
Topics: Noah Lyles, Usain Bolt, Athletics
James Taylor
Topics: Noah Lyles, Usain Bolt, Athletics
Noah Lyles has hit back at Usain Bolt after the Jamaican's 'not as talented' comments towards the American.
Lyles won the men's 200m at the Athletics World Championships in Tokyo to claim his fourth world title at that distance. Fellow American Kenneth Bednarek came home in second, ahead of the Jamaican youngster Bryan Levell in third.
It was an impressive run from Lyles, who took gold in 19.52 seconds, before raising four fingers to celebrate his achievement.
Lyles and Bolt have clashed in the past. The American once picked Bolt's Jamaican teammate Asafa Powell when he was asked to name the most complete 100m runner.
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Bolt was asked questioned about the inability of modern sprinters to get near to his times.
In an interview with The Times, Bolt said: “You want the real answer? We’re just more talented. That’s all I’m saying.
"Of course, it shows when it comes to the men. You can see the women are different. The young women are coming up.
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"They’re running faster and faster times [with the new shoes]. I’m just saying, ‘You can’t run faster with brand new spikes?’ We’re just way more talented men."
Lyles has responded in the best way possible, by winning yet another 200m world title, which draws him level with Bolt on four world crowns over that distance. He has now won the 200m in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025.
But despite his dominance at World Championships, he has been unable to secure the top prize in the 200m at the Olympic Games.
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At Tokyo 2020 he had to settle for bronze, before he repeated the result in Paris.
His only Olympic gold medal came last year in the 100m.
The American has not come close to Bolt's sprinting marks. His 100m personal best is 9.79s, set in Paris, which does not rank in the top 20 fastest times in history.
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The top of that list is dominated by sprinters from Bolt's era, including Tyson Gay, Yohan Blake and Powell.
But reports suggest that those marks could be under threat in the future if a 'super track' was to be introduced.
A laboratory near Cambridge has built the world's first digital 'smart' track, fitted with sensors that can provide coaches with data, while also giving athletes a greater energy return.
If such a track was to be approved by World Athletics, then even Bolt's legendary records could come under threat.