Earlier this month, Jordan Anthony defeated Noah Lyles and took away his championship belt. Now, at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships, he has done it again, beating two more veterans and living up to Lyles’ legacy. While Lyles unfortunately wasn’t present to witness the moment, the Olympic champion made sure to cheer him on. However, there’s also more that makes this win extra special.

On March 20, the men’s 60 m final brought speed and drama, as Jordan Anthony crossed the line in 6.41 seconds, clocking a world-leading time to claim gold. Anthony won by leaving behind Olympic silver medalist Kishane Thompson, who ran a personal best of 6.45s to take silver, and Trayvon Bromell, who won the 60m back in 2016. With this win, Anthony made his international debut memorable, even for Lyles.

“Stop Playing on this Man @Jordananthony_6 First year, World champion!” posted Noah Lyles on X, praising his training partner for the win. 

Anthony’s gold marked the 12th time an American had won the 60 m in 21 editions of the World Indoors. His performance inspired the next generation as well.

Even after the 60 m preliminary round, 16-year-old Pau Funes from Gibraltar, who was his competitor on the track, asked Anthony to sign his spikes as a sign of respect and admiration.

But what did Anthony have to say?

“It was just telling everybody to shut the F— up. A lot of people thought I was gonna come here and wet the bed,” Anthony explained his signature celebration post.

At the same time, his 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.

Immediately after the win, Lyles took to Instagram to celebrate. He reshared a post from Pure Athletics that showed Anthony running above Earth, with the caption, “Anthony World Champion.”

This win has come after a series of mishaps. The most recent one was just a few hours before Day 1.

Noah Lyles’ training partner Jordan Anthony overcomes setbacks to shine

Noah Lyles chose to skip the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships due to his upcoming wedding in April, which kept him from racing in Torun, Poland. Beyond that, Lyles trusted that Team USA would be in capable hands, and indeed, Jordan Anthony delivered.

However, 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. When 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. Those head-to-head results make it clear that Anthony was ready to step into the spotlight.