Noah Lyles and his arc of cheery greatness

The US sprint star emulated Usain Bolt with a 100-200 double and as well as his showmanship at the Budapest world athletics

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.

USA's Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the men's 200m final during the World Athletics Championships (AFP)

The American 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.

“I wanted to show I am different. Today, I came out and showed it. I am double champion,” said the American, now the holder of three 200m (2019, 2022, 2023) and one 100m world crown.

The 26-year-old may be different, but all through his early career, everything he did was under the shadow of the now-retired Jamaican freak of nature. Over the course of the week in Budapest, Lyles has stepped out and shone with big performances backing big words.

Part of the post-Bolt void in track and field was the need for a captivating personality who could be the face of athletics’ signature sprint shows, a tag Bolt carried on his shoulders for years. Lyles, not quite in the same chest-thumping-before-the-finish-line Bolt way, is as much of a showman as a speed sensation.

A day before 100m heats, a time when most athletes tend to retreat into a no-distraction zone, Lyles released parts of his docuseries on social media featuring his early days, journey and, of course, comparisons with Bolt.

He talks big, at times bordering on being perceived as cocky. He has branded himself “the fastest man in the world”. He refers to himself in first person while talking about his 100m race strategy of making sure “I was the first to 60 metres, then do Noah Lyles things, use my topping speed”. He announced on Instagram that his last 200m practice before heading to the Worlds “was his best yet”.

It’s not just all talk and theatrics, though. Lyles has not lost a 200m race in more than two years, since his disappointing 2021 Tokyo Olympics bronze. In the process, he went past Michael Johnson’s US record by clocking 19.31 at last year’s World Championships in Eugene, which also made him the third fastest man ever over the distance.

In 100m, which he has in the past referred to as his “side chick”, Lyles has been more up and down. He has vowed to pull that closer to his priority centre and his personal best of 9.83 in the Budapest win proved his potential.

Invariably, everything Lyles does clocks back to Bolt. Sure, 19.31 is great, but is it really 19.19, Bolt’s 200m benchmark? Sure, 9.83 is great, but is it really 9.58, Bolt’s near-mythical 100m pinnacle?

Not once has Lyles sidestepped these questions. On the contrary, he has taken them head on. Asked about breaching Bolt’s record after winning the 200m in Eugene last year, Lyles shot back “19.1”. To use a tennis analogy, that's like Carlos Alcaraz announcing rightaway that he can overhaul Novak Djokovic’s record of 24 (and counting) Grand Slams.

Lyles believes it’s more a question of when, rather than if, he can match or better the Jamaican’s record, especially in his favoured 200m. While that’s still for the future, Lyles has knocked off one big Bolt feat at these Worlds.

One can’t wait for the Paris Olympics.