Noah Lyles has revealed the undertaking of “good boyfriend duties” when he made a 2am mercy mission to rescue his girlfriend’s running spikes, hours after claiming 100m gold at the Olympic Games.
Monday marked the second anniversary of the start of Lyles’s relationship with the Jamaican athlete Junelle Bromfield. For Bromfield, the occasion was marked by qualifying for the semi-final of the women’s 400m discipline in Paris. Only, though, after Lyles made a detour on the way home from 100m glory at the Stade de France.
“The Airbnb for our massage therapist is right next to the athletes’ village,” Lyles said. “She forgot them from our last trip when we were getting worked on so she called me while I was heading to the village and was like: ‘Hey, can you pick up my spike bag.’ I said: ‘Yeah, I got you.’
“So there I am at 2am, waddling with a spike bag, my bag and some toiletries. I was like: ‘Here I am, Olympic champion, 100m; waddling to my girlfriend’s room with all this stuff. I’m a good boyfriend!’”
Lyles was speaking after easing into another semi-final of his own, in the men’s 200m. The American qualified by winning heat six in 20.19sec. He eased down over the closing stretch while doing so. Later in the evening, he took delivery of his 100m medal.
“I feel pretty jacked up,” Lyles said. “That was about getting the legs moving and stuff like that. Me and coach knew that this would be a race to play by ear. Coach said to me: ‘Top two.’ In my heart I said: ‘One.’ In the head I wanted to win the first 120, win the second part to 150 and from there check the surroundings. That race got out a lot of the gunk from my body; adhesions, tenderness.”
Lyles had no opportunity to enjoy his 100m success but did reflect on a race where he was at one stage in last position. “No celebrating,” he said. “I peed in the cup, did media, got a massage and watched a few videos.
“I have watched the race back quite a few times. The first time I thought: ‘Wow, I really was in last place.’ I saw the data before I saw the race. When I saw the data, I thought it looked like some of my greatest races. It wasn’t that I was struggling to get out, everybody else just stepped up. I was 6.44 through 60m, which is right next to my personal record.”
Lyles’s compatriot and the world No 2 Kenneth Bednarek posted the lowest 200m qualifying time of 19.96. The only other athlete to go sub‑20sec was another American, Erriyon Knighton.
Zharnel Hughes withdrew from the 200m several hours before he was due to take part in his first-round heat. Hughes has cited tightness in his hamstring. The 29-year-old had finished sixth in his 100m semi‑final on Sunday. “No decision has been taken as yet in relation to his relay involvement,” British Athletics said of Hughes.
Dina Asher-Smith atoned slightly for 100m disappointment by qualifying for the women’s 200m final. The 28-year-old refused to stop for media duties thereafter and did not look particularly happy at the end of her heat. The obvious explanation for that would be that Gabrielle Thomas had comfortably beaten Asher-Smith into second place.
The newly crowned women’s 100m champion, Julien Alfred, won heat one in 21.98. Team GB’s Daryll Neita will join Asher-Smith in the final but events at the Stade de France on Monday evening strongly suggest six runners are competing only for a bronze medal.
