On Thursday night, Noah Lyles broke an American record that stood for 26 years and was held by an Olympic legend.
Defending his title, Lyles ran the 200 meters in 19.31 seconds at the World Championships in Eugene, OR.
That breaks the American record of 19.32 seconds set by Michael Johnson — four-time Olympic gold medalist and eight-time World Championships gold medalist — in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.
It’s one thing to read about running the 200m in 19.31, but it’s even more incredible to see it in action.
Check out this blazing, record-breaking speed from Lyles:
It’s the fourth-fastest time ever, trailing only Jamaicans Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake. Bolt ran the 200m in 19.19 seconds (a world record that will be hard to ever top, and that time feels especially insane after how fast Lyles looked on Thursday night), while Blake did so in 19.26 seconds.
Lyles’ 200m American record left the sports fans in awe. Here’s a peek at the reaction to Lyles’ 19.31-second dash:
Now… this is the same Noah Lyles y’all said don’t need to be on the 4×1. And that’s crazy.
— BIANCA KNIGHT, OLY (@MsBiancaAK) July 22, 2022
Related: Sydney McLaughlin breaks her own world record in 400m hurdles
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.