Noah Lyles was enjoying a night out when news reached him that Erriyon Knighton had clocked 19.49 seconds on April 30, 2022. The time was 0.01 seconds faster than Lyles’ then-personal best of 19.50, moving Knighton to fourth on the all-time list at the time. The performance sparked a story that Lyles had immediately called it a night, put everything else on hold, and headed home because he felt he needed to respond to his rival’s time. But four years later, Lyles’ own recollection of that night revealed a very different side to the story.

During an appearance on the podcast Ready Set Go,  with Rodney Green and Justin Gatlin on August 31, Lyles revisited the moment after Gatlin brought up the story and asked him about hearing Knighton had run “19.4.”

Lyles remembered the situation and explained that he and his group were already preparing for another race that week. “Yes, we were. Oh gosh, what were we doing?” Lyles said. “We had a track meet already that week. I think he ran it on a Thursday or a Friday. So we had the track meet on a Sunday. It was a Claremont meet.”

The night had initially been a relaxed one. Lyles and his friends were having dinner and considering heading over to a friend’s house afterward to spend some time together. Lyles recalled, “It was already like 8:00 O’clock and if we go to this friend’s house, we’re going to be out till 10:00, just chilling at their house having fun, playing some board games.” Then the news about Knighton’s performance reached him.

“And it was at that moment when I heard that, I said, ‘Nope, we’re going home.’” For Lyles, the reason was simple. Knighton’s time immediately became a target in his mind. But when Lyles arrived at the track, his coach was not interested in letting him chase Knighton’s time simply because his rival had produced a huge performance.

Lyles pushed back, questioning whether his coach was really going to tell him what time he could run. His coach’s response was more about controlling the race than matching a rival. “You’re going to run fast today, but you’re not going to run 19.4 because you don’t need to. Because there’s no point.” Lyles finally took the counsel and replied with a chuckle, “You know what? That’s why you’re my coach. That’s why you’re my coach. I like you.”

It becomes an even more interesting story because of its timing. Knighton’s 19.49 was recorded on April 30th, 2022, but only weeks later, Lyles proved that he could take a shot at Knighton at the track. Lyles broke 19.31 seconds to claim the world 200m title on July 21 at the World Championships in Eugene. The performance was faster than Knighton’s 19.49 and moved Lyles to third on the all-time list. More importantly, Lyles broke Michael Johnson’s long-standing American record of 19.32.

That mindset was captured perfectly in the message attached to the resurfaced clip on Instagram: “The respect you give to your opponents’ capabilities should never water down your own potential.” And Noah Lyles is not stopping with the goals he has already achieved. While another world title remains on his list, his biggest target now appears to be the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Lyles sets his sights on a historic fifth World title

At the 200m event held at the World Championships in Tokyo in 2025, Lyles claimed his fourth consecutive world 200m medal. His next big challenge will be in 2027 at the World Championships in Beijing – here he will be moving beyond Usain Bolt’s mark of four consecutive 200m world championships. But LA 2028 remains the bigger picture for Lyles.

He has said that he wants the Los Angeles Games to be the highlight of his Olympic career because the Olympics are coming back to the United States. Lyles, who won gold in the 100m and took home bronze in the 200m in Paris 2024, has another reason for LA: taking home gold on home turf. Further, Lyles has effectively ruled out the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, by which time he would be 35, meaning Los Angeles will be his swan song at the Olympic Games.

His idea is to use that final year racing at a few of the meets over the next four years: 2028 and 2032, to visit some of his personal “must-see” countries. There would also be a few races closer to home before one final appearance at his own track meet. “The last race would be at my own track meet, where I’d be able to do any and everything that I want,” Lyles said.

The vision offers a glimpse into how Lyles sees the final chapter of his career. After years of chasing medals, records, and rivalries, he wants to leave the sport on his own terms, with Los Angeles potentially serving as the biggest stage of all.