BRUSSELS: In-form American sprinter Noah Lyles insisted he was focused solely on nailing down gold in the 200m at the world athletics championships and not chasing Usain Bolt’s elusive world record.
The 22-year-old claimed victory in a “chaotic” 200m at Friday’s Diamond League final in Brussels in 19.74 seconds.
The win ensured him of a second payday of $50,000 and trophy, having won the 100m title last week in Zurich.
Lyles, however, will only race the 200m at the September 27-October 6 world championships in Doha.
“I’m very excited about the win,” Lyles said after the Brussels victory, which never looked in doubt despite him discovering a desperate need to go to the toilet before the race — something that had to wait until he’d crossed the finish line.
“I’ve got the 100, now the 200m, so now it’s the world championships.”
Lyles added he was not concerned by a much-touted potential tilt at Bolt’s world 200m record of 19.19sec set at the 2009 berlin world championships.
“I’m not thinking about the world record,” he insisted.
“If you get too caught up chasing the world record, you’re not going to get it.”
But in a broadside to rivals ahead of the Doha worlds, Lyles said his aim was to better his personal best.
That is currently 19.50sec, set in Lausanne this summer and a time which makes him the fourth fastest of all time over the half-lap race.
“That’s definitely the plan,” he said.
“I have three weeks of training to produce the fastest time possible... and there’s no doubt in my mind, to come away with a gold medal.”
Current world and European champion Ramil Guliyev showed some signs of hitting form at just the right time, pushing Lyles over the last 50 metres right through to the line.
The Turk eventually finished second in 19.86sec, one-hundredth of a second ahead of Canadian Andre de Grasse.
Guliyev admitted that the “conditions were not that good”, albeit enough for him to set a season’s best.
“It was very cold and the track is very hard to run,” the Azeri-born sprinter said.
“I am not used to this kind of weather because it is very warm in my home country.
“I know I can go harder, but I have three more weeks to be at my best in Doha. I will be ready.”
De Grasse echoed his sentiments, saying: “It will be completely different in Doha!”
The Canadian, 200m silver medallist and bronze medallist in both the 100m and 4x100m relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was also left satisfied with having notched up a season’s best.
“It’s a good sign for Doha,” he acknowledged.
“I’m close to my PB from a few seasons ago. When the weather gets great I want to go fast.”
Unlike Lyles, there was one athlete on show who will do the sprint double at Doha: Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith. The European champion set a season’s best of 10.88sec, edging out former Olympic and world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce for an impressive victory in the women’s 100m. —AFP
