Showman Lyles emulates Bolt with double at Worlds

Stepping out of the tunnel and onto the track for the 200m final at the Budapest World Athletics Championships on Friday night, Noah Lyles spread his arms and let out an extended roar. It’s the kind of celebratory theatrics reserved for after the end of a spectacle.

- Rutvick Mehta

The US showman chose to do it before the race could even begin. Such has been his belief. Such has been his sense of occasion. Such has been his ability to walk the talk.

Which he did minutes later after lining up for a race he believed he owned. Which he did 19.52 seconds later to win the gold ahead of young compatriot Erriyon Knighton (19.75) and Letsile Tebogo of Botswana (19.81).

This win was a more foregone conclusion than his 9.83-second run for the 100m gold a few days ago and yet carried greater significance in the landscape of modern athletics.

No man had achieved the 100-200 double at a World Championships since Usain Bolt, who did it for the third and final time in 2015 (after 2009 and 2013). Enter Lyles. No man had collected three or more consecutive 200m world titles since Bolt, who won his fourth and final gold in 2015. Enter Lyles.