Noah Lyles Wins 200m Final at World Athletics Championships, Ties Usain Bolt's Record

Noah Lyles won a thriller in the men's 200-meter final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships on Friday.

The American crossed the finish line in 19.52 seconds to win his second individual medal in Tokyo. His four consecutive victories in the 200m at the world championships tied Usain Bolt for the most all-time.

Fellow American Kenny Bednarek was the runner-up with a time of 19.58 seconds, followed by Jamaica's Bryan Levell in third place.

Lyles already won a bronze in the 100 meters on Sunday, finishing behind Jamaican stars Oblique Seville and Kishane Thompson. Lyles had been atop the mountain in that event for the past three years, winning at the 2023 World Championships and 2024 Olympics.

The third-place finish in the 100 meters added to more questions about Lyles' readiness for this level of competition after dealing with an unspecified injury in April that prevented him from training for several weeks.

In the 200-meter heats on Wednesday, Lyles won his group with a time of 19.99 seconds. He was one of five runners to qualify for the semifinals with a time under 20 seconds, but it was only the fifth-fastest time from that group.

Lyles didn't have to push himself that hard in the heat since the top three finishers in each heat advance to the semifinal. He made it through the semifinal on Thursday in 19.51 seconds, .27 seconds faster than anyone in all three heats (Levell: 19.78 seconds).

"I surprised myself," Lyles said on Thursday. "I kind of backed up a little bit as we got to the last 20 metres. I am going to put on a whole race in the final."

Even more than the 100 meters, Lyles has been the dominant men's athlete in the 200 meters. He won gold at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, though he did fall to third at the 2024 Olympics after finishing behind Letsile Tebogo and Bednarek.

Friday was a shining moment for Lyles, as he reasserted his dominance in his signature race. He did despite a slow start off the block with a phenomenal closing stretch that saw him hold off Bednarek in the latest round of their longstanding rivalry.