Noah Lyles went past Kenny Bednarek in the final straight and held his lead to win the 200 meters at the world championships on Friday night. This marked his fourth world title in the event.
Lyles crossed the finish line in 19.52 seconds, just 0.06 seconds ahead of Bednarek. Bednarek led at the halfway mark but fell behind in the final meters, closing in slightly before Lyles sealed the win.
Minutes later, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden made history by completing the first women’s 100-200 double at the world championships since Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013. She finished the 200 meters in 21.68 seconds, beating surprise silver medalist Amy Hunt of Britain by 0.46 seconds.
With this victory, Lyles matched Usain Bolt’s record of four 200-meter world titles. Unlike their clash at US nationals last month, Lyles celebrated calmly, holding up four fingers to the camera and saying, “That’s four, baby.” Jamaica’s Bryan Levell took third, and Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo finished fourth.
Rai Benjamin added to the United States’ success by winning the 400-meter hurdles. The country is enjoying its strongest day of the championships, with 10 golds and 16 medals overall, with two days still to go.
Lyles’ win was the highlight of a season that has been building for years. In 2021, he struggled after months in Covid-19 lockdown and won bronze in Tokyo. That experience motivated him for the future.
More recently, Lyles had a tense showdown with Bednarek at US nationals, where the pair clashed at the finish line. In between, Tebogo won the Paris Olympics while Lyles competed despite Covid-19.
On a cool night in Tokyo, Lyles didn’t start perfectly but stayed composed. He caught Bednarek, opened a two-step lead with 50 meters to go, and held on, calmly raising four fingers to celebrate his fourth world title, a streak that began six years ago in Qatar.
