Noah Lyles has long been talked about as Usain Bolt’s heir apparent and aptly became the first man to win the world sprint double at a World Championships since Bolt eight years ago.
The 100metres had always appeared the harder ask for the American and, when he pulled that off earlier in the championships, the 200m almost seemed a formality.
His best time of 19.31seconds – the third fastest in history – was a class apart from the rest of the field and, while he couldn’t come close to that in the final, neither could his rivals.
He has long talked about his desire to Bolt’s world record of 19.19 but ended up some way off that as he crossed the line in 19.52 ahead of fellow American Erriyon Knighton in second and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo taking home the bronze.
Like Bolt, he had all the pre-race histrionics, howling as Lyles came onto the track and lapping up the applause before he took to his blocks and blew the field away for a hat-trick of 200m world titles.
And like Bolt did before him, he has set his sights on the golden treble with the 4x100m relay on Saturday night.
Lyles said: “Usain Bolt has done it, and him saying to me that he sees what I am doing and he respects it, it is amazing. I am hoping to grab another gold.”
Zharnel Hughes had hoped to become the first British man to pick up two individual sprint medals in a major championships since Allan Wells back in 1980 but had to make do with fourth.
It has still been the best year of Hughes’ career. He shares the accolade of being the fastest man in the world alongside Lyles and comes away with bronze from the 100m.
And he has pledged to end his championships with a medal. He said: “Hopefully tomorrow with the guys in the relay we can bring our A game and be spot on with the checkmarks and hand-offs, we should be ok. Tomorrow is the last one and whatever leg they put me on I’m going to do damage.”
In the women’s 200m, Darryl Neita edged the battle of the Brits with Dina Aseher-Smith but it was only enough for fifth and seventh respectively. But for Neita it proved a personal best in a time of 22.16s.
It marked a disappointing world championships for Asher-Smith, who also struggled to make her mark in the 100m having run the quickest she ever had prior to a major championships.
Afterwards, she said: “Obviously, I would have wished this world champs was vry, very different for me. I’m happy to have competed. In a world final I don’t want to be running times behind where I want to be but it’s done. It’s been a tough week but that’s sport.”
Defending champion Shericka Jackson laid down her credentials as the greatest 200m in history with the second fastest time ever in what proved something of a time trial as she crossed the line in 21.41seconds.
The next quickest woman, Gabby Thomas, was fourth tenths of a second behind for the silver with 100m champion Shericka Jackson picking up a medal in the outside lane.
