Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Noah Lyles

How Noah Lyles built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Noah Lyles is a highly accomplished American track and field sprinter, specializing in the 60m, 100m, and 200m events. He holds the American record in the 200m with a personal best of 19.31 seconds, making him the third-fastest person in history for that distance. Lyles is an Olympic champion and a six-time World champion, establishing himself as one of the dominant figures in modern sprinting.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2014: Lyles represents the United States at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games

In 2014, Lyles represented the United States at the Youth Olympic Games, winning a gold medal in the 200 m.

2014: Lyles wins gold at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games

In 2014, Lyles won a gold medal in the 200 m at the Youth Olympic Games.

January 2015: Lyles clears 2.03 m in the high jump in January 2015

In January 2015, Lyles cleared 2.03 m (6 ft 7+3⁄4 in) in the high jump as a high school junior.

March 2016: Lyles wins the 200 m at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in March 2016

In March 2016, Lyles won the 200 m at the New Balance Nationals Indoor.

April 2016: Lyles wins both the 100 m and 200 m at the Arcadia Invitational in April 2016

In April 2016, Lyles won both the 100 m and 200 m at the Arcadia Invitational, setting new meeting records of 10.17 s and 20.48 s respectively.

June 2016: Lyles wins the 100 m at the USA Junior Championships in June 2016

In June 2016, Lyles won the 100 m in 10.08 s at the USA Junior Championships.

July 2016: Lyles competes at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July 2016

In July 2016, Lyles competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials, failing to advance from his first 100 m heat but placing fourth in the 200 m final with a time of 20.09 s, breaking a 31-year-old national high school record and qualifying for the World U20 Championships.

July 2016: Lyles turns professional in July 2016

In July 2016, Noah Lyles and his younger brother Josephus turned professional and signed with Adidas.

2016: Lyles wins gold at the 2016 World U20 Championships

In 2016, Lyles won gold medals in the 100 m and 4 x 100 m relay at the World U20 Championships.

2017: Lyles wins first senior national title in 2017

In 2017, Lyles won his first senior national title in the 300 m at the USA Indoor Championships, improving the indoor world record to 31.87 s. He also earned a silver medal in the 4 × 200-meter relay at the World Relays and won two meets in the IAAF Diamond League circuit, but injuries prevented him from competing much of the season and he missed the World Championships.

2018: Lyles focuses on outdoor season in 2018

In 2018, Lyles failed to make the national team for the World Indoor Championships, so he turned his focus to preparing for the outdoor season. He opened with a win in the 200 m at the IAAF Diamond League Doha meet, setting a personal best.

2018: Lyles becomes U.S. champion in the 100 m in 2018

In 2018, at the USA Championships, Lyles matched the world lead in the 100 m semi-final and won the final in 9.88 s, a new world lead and personal best, becoming the youngest U.S. champion in the 100 m since 1984.

2019: Lyles sets world leader in Shanghai in 2019

In 2019, Lyles opened the season by running a 9.86 (+0.9) world leader in Shanghai on May 18. In his first 200-meter race, at the Pietro Mennea Golden Gala meet, he equalled Mennea's long standing 1979 world record time running a 19.72 (+0.7).

2019: Lyles wins gold medals at the 2019 World Athletics Championships

In 2019, Lyles won gold medals in the 200 m and the 4 × 100 m relay at the World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar.

2019: Lyles wins the 200 m world champion title in 2019

In 2019, Lyles won the 200 m world champion title.

2019: Lyles wins gold in the 4 x 100 m relay at the 2019 World Championships

In 2019, Lyles won the gold medal in the 4 x 100 m relay at the World Championships.

2020: Lyles wins bronze at the 2020 Olympic Games

In 2020, Lyles won a bronze medal in the 200 m at the Olympic Games.

July 21, 2022: Lyles claims global title in the 200 m in July 2022

On July 21, 2022, during the World Athletics Championships, Lyles claimed his second global title in the 200 m and surpassed Michael Johnson's national record with a time of 19.31, moving him to third on the world all-time list.

2022: Lyles wins the 200 m world champion title in 2022

In 2022, Lyles won the 200 m world champion title.

2023: Lyles completes a sprint treble at the 2023 World Championships

In 2023, Lyles achieved a sprint treble by winning gold medals in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x100-meter events at the World Championships.

2023: Lyles wins gold in the 100 m and 4 x 100 m relay events in 2023

In 2023, Lyles won gold medals in both the 100 m and 4 x 100 m relay events at the World Championships.

2023: Lyles wins the 200 m world champion title in 2023

In 2023, Lyles won the 200 m world champion title.

2023: Lyles wins gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships

In 2023, at the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Lyles won the 100 m with a personal best of 9.83 and also won gold in the 200-meters with a time of 19.52s.

June 2024: Lyles clocks fastest time into a headwind in June 2024

On June 9, 2024, Lyles clocked 19.77 seconds for 200 m in New York City into a headwind of 1.6 m/s, which as of September 16, 2024, is the fastest time into such a strong headwind.