“Tebogo’s got half a yard and now it’s down to 10cm, and now it’s almost dead heat,” the commentator remarked as Noah Lyles chased Letsile Tebogo in front of a sold-out crowd at Letzigrund Stadium. The 100m Olympics gold medalist ran down the 200m gold medalist to win the men’s 200m Diamond League trophy in Zurich in 19.74s (-0.6). Despite watching Tebogo gain an early advantage, Lyles remained patient to defeat the Botswanan. “I knew I would not win if I panicked. If you are tight, you are done. I noticed Letsile lean on the line and I leaned on the line but I knew that I won,” Lyles said after winning the race.

While Lyles did show his supremacy on the track, Tebogo (19.76s), who missed the #1 by a whisker, should be a concern for the American. Even after the loss, the Botswanan seems to have made his point right before the World Championship in Tokyo. Taking a dig at Lyles, Letsile said, “This is the strong part of me – you have to let do the legs do the talk. Because the more you talk and you cannot prove it, it means you only talk, you do not prove yourself.”Tebogo further reminded the American that while he may have had his moment today, tomorrow could be a different story.

“I do not talk, I just let the legs do its thing. I think now, Lyles is humble. He knows what can happen in this sport. He wins today, tomorrow, he can lose it,” The Botswana added. Well, Lyles’ 100m has been like that this season. He lost to Oblique Seville in London, then he clocked 10.05 to win the heats in the USATF championships before pulling out. This was followed by another defeat to Olympic rival Kishane Thompson at the Silesia DL and then to Seville again in Brussels.

The Botswana sprinter added, “I believe since Paris, he has been humble, he has not been talking so much. But I believe, the more he is afraid of the other athlete. Now, he is just more calm. We are equally balanced at the moment.” With their current rivalry sitting 4-2 in Noah’s favor, Tebogo gave an early warning to his fiercest rival before the Tokyo event.

“For sure, I am going to double in Tokyo. I just want to let it all out,” Letsile Tebogo remarked. He had hinted that he would not restrict himself to the 200m, and now we are going to see Letsile Tebogo vs Noah Lyles not only in the 200m but also in the 100m. Meanwhile, Noah also had his reaction after the race.

“Six in a row, the most in track! It is pretty nice to have that.” The 100 and 200m world champion got his hands on the 200m in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2025, and the 100m in 2019, making him the only athlete to secure six Diamond League trophies.

Now, as Tokyo comes closer, who do you think will have the edge in the rivalry?