Noah Lyles matches Usain Bolt’s historic 200-meter record with fourth straight title at World Championships
The 200-meter final was a spectacle, featuring five of the eight runners from last summer’s Olympic final.
Noah Lyles, American sprinter clinched his fourth consecutive 200-meter world championship title, joining sprint legend Usain Bolt as the only men to achieve this feat. Running a 19.52 seconds at Japan’s National Stadium, Lyles solidified his dominance in the event, overcoming a challenging season marked by injury. This victory not only scripted his legacy but also placed him in the same elite category as Bolt, who won four straight 200-meter world titles from 2009 to 2015.
Details about the race
The 200-meter final was a spectacle, featuring a stacked field with five of the eight runners from last summer’s Olympic final. Lyles, starting in Lane 6, faced fierce competition from compatriot Kenny Bednarek, Jamaica’s rising star Bryan Levell, and Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo.
Levell took an early lead, hitting the 100-meter mark in just 10.03 seconds, six hundredths ahead of Bednarek and nine hundredths ahead of Lyles. However, Lyles’ unmatched top-end speed kicked in down the home stretch, allowing him to surge past his rivals and cross the finish line first.
Results of the race
Kenny Bednarek secured silver with a time of 19.58 seconds, while Bryan Levell claimed bronze in a personal best of 19.64 seconds, marking Jamaica’s first men’s 200-meter world championship medal since Bolt’s 2015 gold.
Letsile Tebogo, on the other hand, narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth in 19.65 seconds. Lyles’ winning time of 19.52 seconds was just one hundredth slower than his historic 19.51-second semifinal performance, the fastest ever in a world championship semifinal.
Special win for Noah Lyles
Lyles’ achievement is all the more remarkable given the obstacles he faced this season. A groin inflammation delayed his outdoor season, and an unspecified injury in April disrupted his training. Despite these setbacks, Lyles began preparing for the world championships just three months ago.
“Don’t miss the final, it’s going to be magical,” Lyles predicted after his semifinal, and he delivered on that promise with a performance that echoed his 19.52-second win in Budapest two years ago.
Reaching the remarkable milestone
By securing his fourth straight 200-meter world title, Lyles has etched his name alongside Usain Bolt in track and field history. Bolt, the 100-meter and 200-meter world record holder, dominated the event from 2009 to 2015. Lyles, now 28, has matched this record with victories in Doha (2019), Eugene (2022), Budapest (2023), and now Tokyo (2025). This four-peat underscores his consistency and dominance in an event that demands both speed and technical precision.
Other standout performances
Australia’s Jess Hull set a new national record in the women’s 800-meter semifinal, clocking 1:57.17 to qualify for the final after overcoming an earlier tripping incident in her heat. Mackenzie Little also shone, advancing to the women’s javelin final with a season-best throw of 65.54 meters. Meanwhile, middle-distance runner Ky Robinson secured a spot in the men’s 5000-meter final with a strong heat performance.