Noah Lyles Explains How He Can Improve After 100m Heat to Defend Title at Worlds

United States sprinter Noah Lyles easily won his heat in the men's 100m race on Sunday at Tokyo's World Championships, finishing in 9.95 seconds.

But he sees room for improvement.

"I really liked that start. I feel like I was open," he said on the NBC broadcast after the win. "But I've had better ones in practice. I know that getting this first one, this first day out of the way, wakes my body up and says, 'Let's go even harder tomorrow.' So that's gonna be our idea. Not stressing it, but just saying, 'Hey, turn up the notch, and then break it off.'"

Lyles is the defending 100m gold medal champion from the 2024 Paris Games and also claimed gold at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, though his claim to fame has generally been the 200m, with three World Championship triumphs and two Olympic bronzes in that race.

But Lyles is aiming to establish himself as the definitive holder of the title, "World's Fastest Man," and a 100m triumph in Tokyo would go a long way in that effort.

He has a number of rivals in that pursuit. The United States' Kenny Bednarek, Jamaica's Kishane Thompson and Oblique Seville and Botswana's Letsile Tebogo—the 200m champion at the Paris Olympics—are all threats. South Africa's Gift Leotlela (9.87s) and Nigeria's Kayinsola Ajayi (9.88s) each posted personal records in the heats, meanwhile, adding more spice to an already loaded list of contenders.

Seville had a rough race in the heats, however, getting a late start and barely qualifying for the semifinals. Lyles took notice.

"Yeah, I knew that was going to happen," he said of Seville's close call. "That man was panicking in the back. Yeah... But hey, he's a gamer, so hopefully he'll get it back and we'll have a great final."

Lyles is no stranger to a bit of trash talk, and he was clearly needling Seville. He and Bednarek also had a heated exchange at the USATF Outdoor Championships in August after the 200m final.

Love Lyles or hate him, he undoubtedly makes the sport more entertaining.