EUGENE, Ore. — The red running suit, the white pearls and the gold medal said it all.
Noah Lyles is the flashiest, and the fastest, sprinter in the United States — maybe even the world.
We’ll all get to find out later this summer in Paris thanks to a come-from-behind victory for Lyles in the 100 meters at U.S. track trials Sunday — a 9.83-second sprint that secured his spot at an Olympics where he has his sights set on electrifying his sport.
“This was basically the plan, and the plan is working right now,” Lyles said.
Lyles came from the back half of the field to match his best time ever in the sprint that crowns the Fastest Man in the World.
He beat 200-meter specialist Kenny Bednarek by .04. Fred Kerley, the 2022 world champion, finished in third and will also go to Paris. Christian Coleman, the 2019 world champ, was in the lead with about 30 meters left but finished fourth.
The Lyles win makes the American sprint favorites 2 for 2 after three days of these trials. It comes a day after Sha’Carri Richardson also lived up to expectations and won the women’s 100 to earn her trip to Paris.
Both of these sprinters shine in their own way. Lyles is on a mission to lift up an entire sport that has been dimmer ever since Usain Bolt exited stage right after the…
