Noah Lyles is confident he has what it takes to smash Usain Bolt's long-standing 200m world record after already winning gold at the 2024 Olympic Games.
The 27-year-old was in fine form as he dashed home to win the 100m men's gold medal on Sunday, and is now eyeing further success in Paris.
Lyles is expected to cruise through the 200m heats on Monday, with the semi-finals to take place on Wednesday with the final the following day.
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And the American has already issued a bold message regarding Bolt's world record of 19.19 seconds that has now stood for almost 15 years.
Speaking in 2023, Lyles said: "I know that I'm going to break it.
"The second most-popular, favourite hobby of humans − after watching somebody achieve greatness − is watching them fail.
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"People love to watch people fail. They just do. I don't know why.
"It's just if somebody says they want to do something great, someone's right there next to say they can't do it.
"I can give zero cares about what other people think.
"Because they don't know me, they don't know my story, they don't know what I do, they don't know how hard I work, how talented I am. But I know."
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Lyles has had to wait patiently for his time in the spotlight but is notable now for his swagger and confidence.
The US star has yet to lose a 200-metre race in the two years since he finished a disappointing third at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
Of the 10 fastest 200-metre times in the world since the Tokyo games three years ago, he has run eight of them.
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"I'm going to motivate myself regardless," Lyles added.
"I'm going to win regardless.
"I didn't need a rival at worlds to run 19.3, because there was nobody close to me when that happened."
Lyles' closest attempt at breaking Bolt's long standing record, set at the World Championships in Berlin in 2009, is 19.31 - a US record which he set in Eugene in 2022.
Topics: Olympics, Usain Bolt, Athletics
Matthew Holt