American sprinter Noah Lyles has his sights set on breaking Usain Bolt’s 200m World Record. In a post to his official Instagram page on Thursday, just days ahead of the beginning of the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Lyles set a personal goal for himself and declared that he will run 19.10s in the 200m.
“They say if they don’t know your dreams then they can’t shoot them down. But I have always been more of a guy who loves to hear the screams from the heaters, got a nice ring to it,” he captioned a photo of himself with the times he hopes to run in both the 100 and 200m.
The 200m World Record held by Usain Bolt is 19.19 seconds set in Berlin, Germany in 2009.
Lyle’s lifetime best in the 200m is 19.31s – the third-fastest time ever, behind Bolt’s WR and Yohan Blake’s 19.26s. He has run 19.47s this season and is the only sprinter to hold the 200m world lead for six consecutive seasons.
His ambitious goals stirred a lot of conversation in the comments section. While some believe 19.10 from the American is not impossible, others believe the mark is unattainable.
“Usain laughing… delusional… reality is gonna sink in soon. Usain is a legend, one of a kind athlete, appearing every 100 years. Good luck Noah,” user hannibal2719 said.
“Times are more than possible for Lyles, guys an incredible talent,” user xadamsreiss_
Meanwhile, sprint legend Usain Bolt has said that of his two sprint records, he believes the 200m will likely be the first to be broken. In an interview with World Athletics last month, the Jamaican said that while he is not particularly worried about any of his World Records, he thinks the 100m is harder to break.
“I really don’t know,” he said while adding that, “I think the 100 will be harder (to break) because it’s quicker and if you make a mistake during the race, you not going to get it. It’s a lot more technical so I think the 100m is going to go last.”
