American sprinter Noah Lyles has the opportunity to become the first man since Usain Bolt to achieve an Olympic sprint double after successfully qualifying for the 200m final at Paris 2024.
Lyles clinched the gold medal in the 100m by a narrow margin of five-thousandths of a second against Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, culminating in a dramatic photo finish on Sunday.
The 27-year-old, who secured three gold medals at last year’s World Championships, finished second in his 200m semi-final with a time of 20.08 seconds, trailing Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo.
Tebogo, the world 100m silver and 200m bronze medallist, posted the fastest time of the semi-finals at Stade de France on Wednesday evening, clocking in at 19.96 seconds.
The men’s 200m Olympic final is scheduled to take place on Thursday at 19:30 BST.
In addition to Lyles, Kenneth Bednarek from the United States also recorded a faster time in the semi-finals, finishing in 20.00 seconds. His compatriot Erriyon Knighton, who earned world 200m silver last year, also advanced to the final.
Notably, Canada’s Andre de Grasse will not defend his Olympic title after finishing third in his semi-final with a time of 20.41 seconds.
Three years ago, Lyles won the Olympic bronze medal in the 200m and went on to secure gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m events at the World Championships in Budapest last year. Following that achievement, he expressed interest in pursuing a 4x400m relay title in Paris, noting his success as the first man since Bolt in 2015 to accomplish a 100m and 200m world double.
Usain Bolt, a Jamaican sprint legend, is the only athlete to have completed individual sprint doubles at three consecutive Olympic Games, securing eight titles in total, including relay gold in 2012 and 2016. Only nine men in history have managed to achieve this Olympic double.
Lyles became the first American to win an Olympic 100m title in two decades, with Justin Gatlin being the last to do so in 2004. As a three-time reigning world 200m champion, he is positioned as the favorite as he aims to solidify his status as the leading male sprinter of his generation.
In other news during Wednesday’s evening session, Great Britain’s Amber Anning successfully reached the final of the women’s 400m. The Olympic debutant, 23, finished second in her semi-final with a personal best of 49.47 seconds. However, her teammates Laviai Nielsen (50.69) and Victoria Ohuruogu (51.14) did not qualify.
Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke was among those who qualified for the women’s 400m final, which is set for Friday at 19:00.
In the men’s 400m hurdles, Team GB’s Alastair Chalmers was unable to advance after suffering a fall in his semi-final. Norway’s world record holder Karsten Warholm qualified fastest for the final with a time of 47.67 seconds.
Tade Ojora did not reach the men’s 110m hurdles final, finishing seventh in his heat. American three-time world champion Grant Holloway recorded the fastest semi-final time of 12.98 seconds as he aims to upgrade his silver medal from Tokyo.
