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EUGENE, Ore. — Noah Lyles is getting even closer to making his second Olympic team.
The sprinting star ran the 100-meter in 9.92 seconds on Saturday night — the best time in the 35-man field — to advance to Sunday’s semifinal in the U.S. Olympic trials at Hayward Field. That heat starts at 8:48 p.m. ET/5:48 p.m. PT, and if he advances, he will run the final at 10:49 p.m. ET/7:49 p.m. PT.
The top three finishers will earn spots in the 2024 Paris Games.
Lyles said he has a better idea of what to expect going into trials with one Olympics behind him. And after the first round, he isn’t feeling much pressure going into Sunday’s races.
“I’m already coming in as the fastest 100-meter guy, third in the world,” he said. “It’s a lot better of a position than I was in last year, so if I pulled it off last year, I can definitely pull it off this year.”
His goal in Sunday’s semifinal and final is to run 9.7 or under. He will also run in the 200 later this week.
Lyles is seeking to become the “fastest man on Earth,” a title an American hasn’t held in 28 years and one that belongs to Jamaica’s Usain Bolt (9.58).
In August, Lyles claimed three gold medals at the world championships in Budapest by winning the 100 and 200, and anchoring the U.S. 4×100 relay.
His two individual victories at the event marked the first time anyone accomplished the double at worlds since Bolt in 2015 — and just the fifth man ever.
Lyles did not qualify for the 100 in 2020, finishing seventh out of eight runners in the Olympic trials final. He did claim the bronze medal in the 200, however.
Four years later, he says the sadness he felt at coming up short fueled his run in 2024.
“It’s amazing to finally be here,” Lyles said. “In Tokyo, I felt like I had blown a huge opportunity. The more I look back at it, the more I’m like, ‘Wow, if I never had that moment happen, I never would have produced what I have done up until now.’ I don’t think there would be the drive in me as much as it has the last couple years.”
Lyles said the experience has also forced him to ask himself how he can do better.
“Each year has been a huge improvement to where now I’m coming in as the world champion and the American record holder,” he said. “I didn’t have any of those titles back at the last one, so it’s a huge confidence booster.”
Coverage of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials for the 2024 Paris Games will continue live Sunday on NBC, Peacock and USA.
