“Records are bound to be broken someday,” Usain Bolt once said. Yet with a knowing grin, he added, “However, there is no one in particular who looks likely to be able to break it right now. I’m not worried.” The 8-time Olympic gold medalist remains confident that his records will stand firm at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. While his 100m and 200m world records might continue to defy challengers, one record in particular is in jeopardy.

Noah Lyles is closing in on matching the mark for most consecutive 200m World Championship titles. Bolt claimed four consecutive world titles in this event, establishing dominance over many years. It began in Berlin in 2009, when he ran 19.19 seconds—a record still the fastest 200m legal time after 16 years. He followed that with a comfortable win of 19.40 seconds in Daegu 2011, which stood as the year’s best until Yohan Blake’s 19.26 later that season. In 2013, Bolt secured his hat-trick with a time of 19.66 in Moscow—again leading the world’s seasonal times. The fourth title came in 2015 with a winning time of 19.55 seconds, yet again the fastest time that year. Setting this extremely high bar, Bolt’s legacy challenges anyone who dares to approach.

Well, Noah Lyles has been steadily closing that gap. He earned his first 200m World Championship gold in 2019 in Doha, clocking 19.83 seconds. In 2022, in Eugene during a red-hot season, he defended his title with a superb 19.31 seconds, breaking Michael Johnson’s longstanding American record of 19.32 from Atlanta 1996. This performance marked the third fastest legal 200m in history.

In 2023, he claimed a third consecutive crown at the Budapest World Championships in 19.52 seconds. If he wins again in Tokyo, Lyles will join Usain Bolt as the only athletes with four consecutive 200m World titles. The promising record chase seems likely as Lyles remains unbeaten in the 200m since the Paris Olympics. However, a formidable challenge comes from Botswana’s rising star, Letsile Tebogo.

Tebogo has relentlessly pushed Lyles. At the 2025 Diamond League finals in Paris, Tebogo nearly dethroned the champion. Taking an early lead, Tebogo appeared poised to claim victory, but Lyles’ trademark calm and late surge saw him claw back and narrowly edge Tebogo by 0.02 seconds with a 19.74 finish. Their ongoing rivalry sets the stage for an electrifying duel in Tokyo.

Noah Lyles finds his ‘why’

A recent video by the World Championships and Olympics official accounts offers insight into Lyles’ mindset. Reflecting on his journey post-Olympics, Lyles shared, “I’d say remembering my why would be the most important. Coming out of the Olympics, remembering why I’m doing this, why I’m chasing records, why I’m chasing times, why I’m chasing to be great, that is probably the most important thing because you can win and then get to the top of the mountain and be like, well, what I do now?” At this point, Lyles has achieved nearly everything—Olympic and World gold medals.

Last year, Lyles edged Kishane Thompson in a nail-biting photo finish to take 100m gold at the Paris Olympics, reaffirming his elite status. He emphasized, “So, knowing why you decide to climb in the first place, I think, is the most important thing.” With an Olympic gold and multiple World titles secured, his sights are now firmly set on shattering records.

In 2023, Lyles impressively won three gold medals at the World Championships, taking 100m, 200m, and 4x100m titles. COVID interruptions delayed his Olympic triple gold ambitions, but Los Angeles 2028 is firmly in his sights for that feat. Previously, Lyles indicated, “The hundred will be a lot closer once I get the first 10 metres down, so I’d say we’re still quite a few years away from that one. But the 200? Two years max.”

These comments reference Usain Bolt’s 100m (9.58s) and 200m (19.19s) world records. Two years on, with Tokyo looming, the question remains: will Noah Lyles rise to equal or surpass the records of the greatest of all time? The world waits eagerly to see.