Noah Lyles has not surrendered a single 200-meter race in 2025, yet his season has not been without reminders of vulnerability. Three times he has finished runner-up in the 100, most recently at the Lausanne Diamond League on August 20, where Jamaica’s Oblique Seville outleaned him for victory. Still, his decisive triumphs in the longer sprint, including the United States Outdoor Championships in July and the Zurich Diamond League Final in late August, have established the 28-year-old as a formidable contender for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

The Zurich performance carried particular resonance. Letsile Tebogo, the Olympic champion who stunned Lyles in Paris last summer, held a narrow lead through the curve, only to be overtaken in the closing meters. Lyles crossed the line in 19.74 seconds, securing his sixth career Diamond League Final title, a record for track athletes. “Six in a row, the most in track!” he declared afterward, visibly relieved to have wrested back momentum in the rivalry. Tebogo, gracious in defeat, remarked that “now, Lyles is humble. He knows what can happen in this sport. He wins today, tomorrow, he can lose it.”

Beyond the immediate rivalry, Noah Lyles has chosen this season to revisit the image and energy of 2022, the year that elevated him into the pantheon of American sprinting. With the same trademark hairstyle he wore during that campaign, he appears intent on recreating its rhythm and results. Three years ago, he produced one of the finest stretches in 200-meter history, breaking Michael Johnson’s national record with 19.31 seconds at the World Championships in Eugene. That victory completed a US sweep of the podium and placed Lyles third on the all-time global list. He also claimed the national 200 title with 19.61 seconds at the USATF Championships and added a 19.46 win in Monaco, reinforcing the consistency of his command.

The parallels with 2025 are striking. In July, he took his fifth US title in 19.63 at Eugene, once again delivering under pressure against a deep field. His Zurich win came in less favorable circumstances, after injury delayed his season opener in April and after defeats to Seville and Kishane Thompson in shorter races, but the ability to reel in Tebogo at the line echoed the composure that defined his 2022 season. “I knew if I panicked I was not going to win. If you are tight you are done for,” Lyles explained after Zurich, offering insight into the controlled aggression that has become his trademark.

There is also a contrast worth noting. In 2022, Lyles balanced his dominance in the 200 with flashes of brilliance in the 100, including a 9.85 at the USATF Championships. This year, his best of 9.90 at Silesia on August 16 ranks among the fastest in the world, but repeated second-place finishes illustrate the difference between contention and control. That may prove inconsequential in Tokyo, where his automatic entry as defending champion affords him the luxury of focusing squarely on the 200. Yet the pursuit of both titles, as he managed in Budapest two years ago, remains central to his ambitions.

Lyles himself has projected optimism despite the uneven start. “I’m super excited because I’m seeing the progression,” he said in Lausanne in late August. With two significant 200-meter wins already secured this summer, the echoes of 2022 are undeniable. If the hairstyle is a signal of intent, the performances suggest a familiar pattern. When the curve unwinds and the finish approaches, Noah Lyles is once more the man to catch. Noah Lyles reflected on 2025 as his most unpredictable year, navigating injuries, delayed starts, and evolving rivalries with measured focus. However, NoJo reflected on 2025 as his most unpredictable year, navigating injuries, delayed starts, and evolving rivalries with measured focus.

Noah Lyles calls 2025 his most wild and unexpected season yet

Noah Lyles described 2025 as the most wild and unexpected year of his career, reflecting on a season that diverged sharply from the trajectory he had envisaged. The Olympic 100m champion endured a mid-season injury that delayed his competitive return until July, leaving him with remarkably few races before the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. “I’ve never had a season like this before, where I’ve had so few races,” Lyles acknowledged, capturing the dissonance between his preparation and his customary rhythm. Despite the disruption, he conveyed a sense of readiness and focus, asserting that he was prepared to accelerate his form precisely when it mattered most.

The turbulence of the season extended beyond physical setbacks, encompassing shifting objectives and evolving rivalries that tested Lyles’ strategic acumen and psychological resilience. He observed the intricate dynamics of competition, particularly his emerging duels with Kenny Bednarek and Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, while lamenting the postponement of a high-profile clash with Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson. “I love rivalries, as long as they’re done correctly,” he remarked, emphasizing the importance of context and history in cultivating meaningful athletic contests. For Lyles, the essence of these rivalries lay not only in performance but in the narrative of repeated encounters that demonstrated both persistence and skill.

Even amid the unpredictability, Lyles framed the year as a fortuitous opportunity, acknowledging that adversity had compelled him to recalibrate his ambitions and prioritize strategic positioning over sheer speed. He explained that his original intention to focus on the 200m had shifted, and the prevailing objective was clear: to optimize conditions to secure victory at the world championships.

“It’s really just saying, we need to be in the best position possible to win the world championships,” he said, underscoring a disciplined pragmatism. By embracing the irregularities of 2025, Lyles illustrated a sophisticated equilibrium of patience, tenacity, and competitive acumen that distinguished his approach to one of the most unconventional seasons of his career.