Noah Lyles 100m Victory! A Kalidoscope Of Special Events Add Spice On Budapest’s Favorite Day

Noah Lyles 100m Victory!
A Kalidoscope Of Special Events Add Spice On Budapest’s Favorite Day

2023 World Athetics Championships
Budapest, Hungary
August 20, 2023

Noah Lyles’s magnificent 100m victory was the crown jewel on a very special day (Saint Stephens Day) in Budapest. Here are the events that were enjoyed by a full stadium on Budapest’s favorite holiday.

The Day Two showcase of the World Championships was undeniably the final of the men’s 100-meter dash. It played out like an opera in three parts: Saturday’s preliminary round which saw the favored Americans in top form, and the Day Two semis and final.

m100m – Semi: Those who might have thought that in events leading up to these Championships, Noah Lyles was not showing the requisite sharpness to compete for the 100m gold might want to re-evaluate their assessment after the American’s victory in the opening semi-final round of the men’s 100m semi. Closing hard over the final 30 meters, Lyles looked on his game as he crossed the line in 9.87. In the second heat. USA’s Christian Coleman sent his own message as a good start combined with a solid drive phase propelled him to the final with a semi-final win in 9.88. Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, who had the fastest time in the prior day’s opening round, won the 3rd and final heat in 9.90. Defending 100m champion Fred Kerley was a heat casualty, finishing 3rd, clocking 10.02, and missing a ticket to the finals by 0.01 seconds. Kerley was straightforward in his conversation with Lewis Johnson, “I f—ked up.”

m100m – Final: As expected, tension swirled around the moments of trackside preparation as the 8 finalists prepared for perhaps the biggest event of their careers. Great Britain’s Zharnel Huges was gone with the gun, while USA’s Christian Coleman and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo (best overall start) were also out well. Lyles’ start was decent, but he had some work to do – and he got right after it, closing fast and gaining on the quicker starters. Noah caught up as the finish line was nearing and clearly was the first across the line in a world-leading 9.84. The next three across were Tobogo (Silver); Hughes (Bronze), and Seville (4th)…