After a strong 2026 campaign that saw Noah Lyles match his personal best of 9.79 seconds in the 100m, the American sprinter was expected to return to the track at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships. Instead, his season came to an early end just days before the championships with a $10-million prize pool, as a minor strain suffered earlier in the season led to further physical issues and continued to affect his training. However, Lyles has made sure the setback does not affect his long-term plans.
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The 29-year-old’s focus has now shifted toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where he will look to defend his 100m Olympic title on home soil. After winning gold in the event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Lyles is already thinking about what it will take to repeat that success in Los Angeles. He and his team plan to map out the next two seasons, with 2027 serving as the foundation for his Olympic campaign.
“2027 is the building block for 2028,” Lyles said. “Let’s get that plan smoothed and polished so that when we go into 2028, we’re just following the blueprint because we know it’s going to work.”
While Lyles will not be able to compete at the Ultimate Championships, he still plans to attend the Budapest event. However, the American is not allowing the missed event to change his ambitions. His 9.79-second run at the U.S. Championships has given him confidence that he can go even faster, especially after acknowledging that his opening 30 metres was not yet where he wanted it to be.
“It’s proven to myself that I can run very fast, even though I’m not 100% perfect with my first 30 (metres),” Lyles said. His U.S. Championships campaign also showed the level of speed he had reached in 2026. He ran a wind-assisted 9.76 seconds in the 100m semifinal before winning the final in 9.79 seconds, matching his personal best. The performances helped strengthen his belief that he can eventually challenge Tyson Gay’s 9.69-second American record, which has stood since 2009.
“I don’t like to put limits on myself,” Lyles said. “In my head, American records definitely come in, touching the stars, going after anything and everything.”
The sprinter also wants to make changes to his life away from competition. After a year that included several media and promotional commitments, Lyles now wants to dedicate more of his time to training and racing as he prepares for the next stage of his career.
“I’m putting a lot more focus on more running and a lot less appearances,” Lyles said. “I think we’ve proven this year that in the U.S. and even in the world, the world knows Noah Lyles.” For now, Lyles will watch the Ultimate Championships from the sidelines, but the missed $10-million opportunity has not changed his bigger ambitions.
But this is not the first time Lyles has made bold claims ahead of an Olympics. Before the Paris Games, Lyles made big claims too but wasn’t able to deliver it.
Noah Lyles’ bold ambitions for Paris 2024
In a June 2024 interview with The Times, Lyles revealed an ambitious target of winning four Olympic gold medals in Paris. He desired to win the 100m as well as the 200m, and also aid the USA in winning the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. It was understandable to be confident. Lyles had a remarkable World Championship performance only a few months ago, winning gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m in Budapest.
He entered the Olympic year as the reigning world champion in both individual sprints. He was also thinking beyond medals. Lyles wanted to raise his profile and help change the way track and field was viewed in the United States. His ambitions were so high that he even spoke about wanting to have an impact on the sport comparable to, or greater than, Usain Bolt’s.
But then in Paris, his first test came in the 100m. He produced one of the closest finishes in Games history, beating Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by just 0.005 seconds to win gold in 9.79 seconds. However, the rest of his four-medal plan did not unfold as expected.
Lyles reached the 200m final as the reigning world champion and one of the favourites, but he finished third in 19.70 seconds, behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and American Kenny Bednarek. Tebogo won the race in 19.46. Lyles later revealed that he had tested positive for COVID during the Games. He then withdrew from the remaining Olympic events, thus losing his chances in the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relays.
Paris did not deliver the four gold medals that Lyles had hoped for. But it did give him something that’s guiding his aspirations for Los Angeles: a sense that he can follow through when he has to make a big promise.