OregonGoldRush | Lyles brilliantly leads second sweep for US men

The United States’ Noah Lyles unleashed his immense talent in brilliant fashion, dominating a crack 200-metre field in the half-lap final of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field earlier this evening.

Lyles stormed to a jaw-dropping 19.31 seconds, running away from a field that included teammates Kennet Bednarek, a season’s best 19.77, and teenage sensation Erriyon Knighton, 19.80, straggling behind for second and third respectively.

In scorching the Hayward Field track, Lyles also broke the much-vaunted national record held by Michael Johnson since his heroics at the Atlanta Olympic Games all the way back in 1996.

Not since Usain Bolt, the current world record holder at 19.19, and fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake, 19.26, had times like that thought to be approachable.

Bolt first lowered that 19.32 to 19.30 at the 2008 Olympics. The next time he ran the half-lap event at full tilt, the result was the current world record. What will Lyles do the next time he runs fast?

This was also the second sweep of the championships for the Americans, who also claimed a now famous one-two-three in the men’s 100 metres, that one led by Fred Kerley, who seemed to be injured, going out in the semi-finals of the 200. Kerley had claimed the 100 title in 9.86, ahead of teammates Marvin Bracy, 9.88, and Trayvon Bromell, who also clocked 9.88.

The Caribbean also had creditable performances in the 200 final with

The Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando (19.93) and Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards (20.08), finishing fifth and sixth.

This marks the second time the United States were sweeping the 200 at a World Championships, doing so through the efforts of Justin Gatlin, Wallace Spearmon and John Capel in Helsinki, 2005.

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