Noah Lyles returned to the track on Monday night, starting his pursuit of a second Olympic gold medal by completing his first-round 200-meter heat in 20.19 seconds.
Lyles finished ahead of defending Olympic champion Andre De Grasse of Canada by 0.11 seconds in a straightforward run through the curve, contrasting with the intensity of his 100-meter title race the previous night.
In that 100-meter race, Lyles narrowly beat Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by 0.005 seconds, marking one of the most memorable races on the Olympic track. Both sprinters, along with Fred Kerley, were scheduled to receive their medals later in the evening.
Joining Lyles in advancing to the 200-meter semifinals were fellow Americans Erriyon Knighton, who clocked 20.00 seconds, and Kenny Bednarek, who ran 19.97 seconds. Bednarek could potentially be Lyles’ main competitor in the final set for Thursday.
Lyles aims to become the first man to win both the 100 and 200 meters since Usain Bolt accomplished the feat for the third time at the Rio Games in 2016. Carl Lewis was the last American man to achieve this double, doing so in 1984 in Los Angeles.
Lyles took to the track during the midpoint of the men’s pole vault final, where Mondo Duplantis of Sweden was competing to defend his Olympic title.
In other events, Gabby Thomas, the favorite in the women’s 200 meters following the withdrawal of Jamaica’s world champion Shericka Jackson, was set to run her semifinal heat.
The evening also featured finals in the women’s 800 meters and 5,000 meters, where Faith Kipyegon was attempting the first leg of an unprecedented women’s 1,500-5,000 double at the Olympics.
