Noah Lyles’ Florida training teammate had kept the group’s hopes high all season. And now again at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun Poland, 21-year-old Jordan Anthony showed exactly why he belongs among the world’s fastest! He repeated Lyles’ legacy by winning the men’s 60 m all while battling a painful blood clot he suffered during a pre race anti doping test.

On March 20, the men’s 60 m final brought speed and drama too! Jordan Anthony crossed the line in 6.41 seconds, a world-leading time for the season, to claim gold.

In doing so, he left behind Olympic silver medalist Kishane Thompson, who ran a personal best of 6.45 seconds to take silver, while Trayvon Bromell  who won the 60m back in 2016, secured bronze with the same time. Even defending champion Jeremiah Azu had to settle for fourth in 6.46 seconds.

With this win, Anthony made his international debut perfect. Also, Anthony’s gold marked the 12th time an American had won the 60 m in 21 editions of the World Indoors. With multiple contenders running in sub-6.50 form, there was little room for error, but Anthony handled.

Even more, his performance inspired the next generation as well.  Even after the 60 m preliminary round, 16-year-old Pau Funes from Gibraltar asked Anthony to sign his spikes. Well, in track and field, getting a top athlete to autograph your racing shoes is a sign of respect, admiration, and a keepsake, much like collecting a signature on a jersey or poster. Athletes often treasure these moments as memories of competing alongside the best.

At the same time, the win also shows the USA’s continuing dominance in indoor sprinting. Back in 2024, Noah Lyles finished second in the same event at the World Indoors in Glasgow, earning silver behind Christian Coleman with a 6.44‑second run. Now, in 2026, Anthony’s gold feels like a passing of the torch from Lyles to his Florida training partner, hence keeping America at the top of men’s sprinting.

Immediately after the win, Lyles took to Instagram to celebrate. He reshared a post from Pure Athletics that showed Anthony running above Earth, and it was captioned as: “Anthony World Champion.”

But the question remains: why didn’t Noah Lyles take part in this race? The answer lies in trust and commitment.

Noah Lyles’ training partner Jordan Anthony overcomes setbacks to shine

Noah Lyles chose to skip the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships. A key factor was his upcoming wedding in April, which influenced his decision not to travel and race in Torun, Poland. Beyond that, Lyles trusted that Team USA would be in capable hands, and indeed, Jordan Anthony delivered.

At one point, it even seemed Anthony might not make it! Just a day before the event, a routine anti-doping test was done but that left him with a painful blood clot in his arm. “I got a clot the size of a football. Luckily, I’m still running,” he said. Most athletes would have struggled to compete under such conditions, let alone claim gold.

Despite the setback, Anthony entered the World Indoors with confidence. After his preliminary heats, he told NBC: “The goal is to come back with a gold medal. I’m not chasing a time. I learned that at a young age, don’t chase times, chase medals. So right now I’m chasing a gold medal. If I come up short, oh well, I’m a young buck. I got years left.”

Lyles had no doubt his teammate was ready. As speaking about Anthony he once said: “Jordan’s been a lot of fun. He’s been very energetic. He’s been very likely to get the job done.”

Even before the World Indoors Anthony had already proven he could beat Lyles! As we saw at the 2026 USATF Indoor Championships, he ran 6.45 seconds to claim first place in the men’s 60 m final while Lyles finished third in 6.51 seconds. That head to head result made it clear that Anthony was ready to step into the spotlight.