As the defending champion, the weight of expectation naturally looms large, and Noah Lyles is feeling every ounce of it. The Alexandria, Virginia, native thrives on challenges, but this season has tested him like never before. From early injuries that sidelined him for a chunk of the 2025 season to repeated setbacks in the Diamond League, Lyles now finds himself chasing the very rivals he once dominated. Now, add to that, the latest list of the season’s fastest men, and the drama just got more serious.

On August 22, Track & Field Gazette‘s official X page shared the latest update on the top 10 fastest men of the season in the 100m category. And for the first time since his prime, Lyles was not even in the top 10. While Kishane Thompson and Kenny Bednarek topped the chart, what’s more surprising is even his Lausanne nemesis, Oblique Seville, made the list, but not him. To get into a bit more detail:

Jamaican sprinting phenom Thompson was seen leading the list with an incredible 9.75 seconds, achieved at the 2025 Jamaican Championships held in Kingston on June 27 this year. Next on the list was Kenny Bednarek with a close 9.70 seconds, recorded on August 1, at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Next was Thompson’s name yet again, with a blistering 9.80-second achieved at the 2025 Jamaican Athletic Championships semi-finals, followed by Jamaica’s Bryan Levell’s 9.82 seconds (Raiffeisen Austrian Open Eisenstadt, July 23), Oblique Seville at 9.83 seconds (Jamaican Championships), T’Mars McCallum at 9.83 seconds (USA Championships, August 1), Trayvon Bromell at 9.84 seconds (USA Championships)…

The list further continued with Oblique Seville again at 9.84 (Grand Slam Track Miami, May 2025), Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu at 9.84 seconds (Last Chance Qualifier @ McEachern High School, July 19), and Trayvon Bromell again at 9.84 (Golden Gala, Stadio Olimpico, Roma; June 6). As for Lyles, after recovering from his inflamed tendon that derailed his 2025 game plans, the reigning men’s 100m Olympic champ marked his return in style, opening with a 19.88-second victory in the 200m at Monaco.

Since then, he has struggled to regain momentum. Despite his best efforts, edging past Kishane Thompson has remained elusive. Lyles settled for second in the 100m at both the London Diamond League and Silesia, where Thompson beat him by a mere 0.03 seconds. Opting to skip the 100m final at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships after cruising through his heat in 10.50s, Lyles shifted focus to his signature event.

Then, on August 3, he delivered in style again, storming to a world-leading 19.63s in the 200m final, narrowly outpacing Kenny Bednarek’s 19.67s. Despite his impressive USATF Championship performance, he has been lagging in the Diamond League. In Lausanne, Lyles tasted defeat even in the absence of Kishane Thompson. He finished second — and who won? It was Oblique Seville.

Reflecting on his performance, Lyles, through the media, added, “I’d say that this is probably my most wild and unexpected year with having an injury, kind of having it in the middle of the season, kind of setting back when I was able to start it. It’s been rushed, to say the least. But I think I’m shocking myself more and more with every race, especially going from winning my first Diamond League in Monaco, getting second in London, and then again coming back out to Poland and getting a second place only behind Kishane. These are great competitors. And I’m showing that I’m just right back in the swing of things.” 

Well, despite the setbacks, Lyles’ target is set—he wants to exceed his expectations. Interestingly, when asked about his year, he was calm and collected.

Noah Lyles believes these setbacks are nothing but “blessings in disguise”

This year started off unlucky for him, with the injury setting him back by three months. He understood that he was starting the season late, while his opponents had already made their mark. Talking to Olympics.com, Noah Lyles revealed his goals, “In the beginning of the year, it was to really put a hammer on the 200. We had big plans; we were gonna really focus on that. I didn’t feel like I got so much [opportunity] to flesh out and iron out the 200 last year, as we were focused on winning the 100m a lot more than the 200.”

He further added, “This year, after the injury, it’s truly [about] getting right to win. I’m not that worried about running fast; I believe that I will run fast. It’s really just saying, we need to be in the best position possible to win the world championships.” Even though the goalposts have been moved, his attitude and confidence certainly define why he is considered the best in the world.

At the very end, rather than being disheartened about his shortcomings, Lyles stated, “So I’m going to take it as a blessing in disguise and use what I have to the best of my ability.” With his eyes focused on retaining his world title, Lyles has yet to showcase his best. Will he be able to get past Kishane Thompson and Kenny Bednarek this time? Time will tell.