The last time Noah Lyles was in a 200-meter race, he was running out of breath. During the finals of the 200m in the Paris Olympics, Noah Lyles ran with COVID-19; his body was weak, his breath shortened. As a result, the favorite for the win ended up third in that race, clocking a time of 19.70s. The 2025 sensation, Kenneth Bednarek, was the one to finish ahead of him with 19.62 and behind Letsile  Tebogo’s 19.46. That was Noah’s last race of the 2025 season and his last 200 meters as well. Now with the advent of the 2025 outdoor season, Noah Lyles’ 200m debut for 2025 in the London Diamond League is near. The question is, is he still in the same form, and would he win? Experts are weighing in!

“Noah Lyles has been better than everyone else in the world for a while. The biggest blips on the radar have come in those Olympic years, but outside of that, the 200 belongs to him. And we cannot forget just how talented he actually is, because Noah Lyles really doesn’t lose 200-meter dash races when he wants to run them,” said popular track and field YouTube analyst, Coach Rob, in his latest video on  June 19, 2025. And true enough, the last time Noah Lyles did not win a 200-meter race was the semifinal and finals of the 2024 Olympics, where he finished 2nd (20.08) and 3rd (19.70), respectively.

Other than this, the man had raced five 200-meter races in 2025 before the semifinals, and he had not lost a single one. Coach Rob continued, “And the reason is because nobody in the game right now, for the most part, again, there are a few blips on the radar, but almost nobody can actually go as fast as him. When we see world leads that go 19.84, 19.83, or even wind-assisted 19.79, Noah Lyles opened his season in the 200 last year in 19.77 into a minus 1.6 headwind. That’s how he started his 200-meter season. That is what the world is up against.” Kenny Bednarek ran 19.84 s (+0.2 m/s) at the Grand Slam Track meet in Miami on May 4, 2025, setting the 2025 world lead in the event.

Noah Lyles made his 200 m debut of the 2024 outdoor season at the USATF New York City Grand Prix on June 9, 2024, held at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island. Despite a strong 1.6 m/s headwind, he stormed to victory in 19.77 seconds, winning the race. The YouTuber concluded with, “So even though we haven’t seen Noah much, we know the one time that we will, we know which 200-meter dash races he is supposed to actually show up and give us. The only question is: is anybody gonna go with him after the gun goes off?” The 60m Olympic gold medalist will be flying to London for his next 200 m on July 20, 2025, in the London Diamond League.

But it’s not going to be easy for Noah. If he wishes to dominate the 200 meters again, he has to rebuild his season legacy against tough competition like Kenny Bednarek, Letsile Tebogo and other rising stars in the 200 meters. 

It’s a close call…

Kenny Bednarek’s 2025 season in the 200 m has been a story of relentless progress. He kicked things off at the Kingston Grand  Slam Track in early April with a strong 20.07 s, taking the 200 m title and earning $100,000 in prize money. Just weeks later in Miami, he roared into form with a world-leading 19.84 s, sweeping the 200 m title. Bednarek didn’t stop there—he carried his undefeated streak into Philadelphia’s Grand Slam Track meet at the end of May.

There, he clocked 19.95 s to clinch his third consecutive 200 m win in the series, showing both consistency and dominance. He was also awarded the Racer of the Year. Another name that has been roaring in the 200 meters is Letsile Tebogo. The reigning Olympic champion didn’t waste any time in 2025.

He won the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in April, clocking 20.23 s in front of a roaring home crowd. Then at the Doha Diamond League on May 16, he secured a strong victory in 20.10 s, narrowly holding off Courtney Lindsey by just 0.01 seconds. Let us know in the comments how much of a competition these guys can be to Noah Lyles.