Noah Lyles takes dismissive jab at competitor as he expresses confidence in winning 200m Olympic race

PARIS, FRANCE: Since winning bronze in the 200-meter event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Noah Lyles has been on a scorching run, and he seems optimistic that his winning streak will continue in Paris.

Lyles is now officially the fastest man in the world after winning the gold medal in the men's 100-meter dash on Sunday, August 4, by the narrowest of margins - just 0.05 seconds.

Following his close photo finish victory on Sunday night, the world's fastest man of Team USA is now confident that he will win the 200-meter title this week at the Paris Olympics.

Noah Lyles confident of taking gold in 200-meter dash at Paris Olympics

Ahead of the final race of the weekend, Noah Lyles, 27, has been undefeated at the 2024 Paris Games. He defeated Jamaican Kishane Thompson by 0.05 seconds in the 100m final and his focus now shifts to the week's 4x100m relay and the 200m.

With the 200m added to his collection, Lyles is certain he will win at least two gold medals at the Olympics by the time he leaves Paris.

The fearless sprinter prevailed in his opening-round encounter on Monday night, clocking a time of 20.19, although it was slower than that of his countrymen Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton, per The Mirror.

Lyles even made fun of teammate Bednarek. The three-time world champion said on Monday, August 5, "That man [Bednarek] ain't winning. Nobody's winning... when I come off that turn, they will be depressed."

With unwavering confidence, Lyles predicted in 2023 that he would eventually surpass Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt who holds the 100m and 200m records.

"I know that I'm going to break it. The second most popular, favorite hobby of humans − after watching somebody achieve greatness − is watching them fail," Lyles remarked.

He continued, "People love to watch people fail. They just do. I don't know why. It's just if somebody says they want to do something great, someone's right there next to say they can't do it."

"I can give zero cares about what other people think. Because they don't know me, they don't know my story, they don't know what I do, they don't know how hard I work, how talented I am. But I know."

"I'm going to motivate myself regardless. I'm going to win regardless. I didn't need a rival at worlds to run 19.3, because there was nobody close to me when that happened," Lyles said.

Lyles' self-assured demeanor was also evident last year in August when he shaded the NBA players. Lyles had posted on social media, "World champion of what? The United States?” before adding, “Don't get me wrong, I love the US, at times. But that ain't the world... there ain't no flags in the NBA."

These remarks earned him some enemies within his own country. Fans have now declared on social media that they are prepared to "hate watch" Lyles in the 200 meters with the desire that he fails.

Noah Lyles maintains his sprint double bid and breezes through 200-meter heat

Noah Lyles began his pursuit of the desired Olympic sprint double on Monday, winning his 200-meter heat in 20.19 seconds, less than 24 hours after taking home the gold in the 100-meter event.

The American sprinter has always been superior over the longer distance; he has won the previous three world titles and is unbeaten in 25 races going back to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Lyles hopes to win four gold medals in Paris in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relays, as well as maybe the 4x400m relay.

If this happens, he would follow in the footsteps of notable fellow countrymen Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis, who accomplished the same at a single Games using the long jump rather than the longer relay, as reported by Reuters.

Regarding the semifinals, Lyles remarked, "I know a lot of people are trying to make a move on me. I know they are going to try to set themselves up to win it."

"But I am going to win the race at 120m, I am going to win at 150m, and from there I am going to take the race to the line," he added, per Olympics website.

Lyles has not lost a 200-meter race since winning the bronze in Tokyo in 2021 and has set 10 of the top 20 times in the 200m during the past three years.

Defending champion Andre de Grasse, Erriyon Knighton, Kenny Bednarek, Letsile Tebogo, and others who advanced through the first round with wins in their heats will join Lyles in the semifinal.

The final is slated for 9.20 pm on Wednesday, August 7, following the semifinals, which begin immediately after 8 pm.