When Noah Lyles walked onto the track at Hayward Field on Thursday evening, he did so as the defending world champion with “USA” written across his jersey.
When he left the track, the jersey was hanging off his body, torn in two. It had been replaced with an American flag draped across his shoulders and a gold medal.
Shortly after crossing the finish line with an American-record time of 19.31 seconds, Lyles shouted into the sky, threw his fist into the track beneath him and tore off his jersey. The time was a new personal best for Lyles, a new world-leading time, and ranks No. 3 all-time in the men’s 200 meters.
Lyles won the gold medal in the 200 meters at the 2019 world championships and took bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
Just behind Lyles were two teammates from Team USA, Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton, taking silver and bronze, respectively. Bednarek finished with a time of 19.77 and Knighton hit the line in 19.80.
Here’s a look at the race and ensuing celebration:
