Noah Lyles entered the 2025 season with a command over his skill and sprint. He won his fourth consecutive 200m world title in Tokyo with a 19.52 run, following his 19.51 semifinal, which stood as the world lead heading into the final. Lyles also finished the season as the world #1 in the 200m rankings. These performances helped him secure nominations in the USATF and World Athletics awards process. But disappointment stung him both times. 

Despite his elite form in 2025, Lyles missed the World Athlete of the Year honor to the Kenyan middle-distance runner, Emmanuel Wanyonyi. And now, he also fell short of winning the USATF Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year award. Instead, the USATF honored Rai Benjamin with the recognition. And this marks the second straight year that ‘Nojo18’ has gone without the award. 

Previously, Noah Lyles won the Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year award three times–in 2018, 2022, and 2023. This put him in a tie with Michael Johnson for the most wins of the award. If he had received the Jesse Owens Award this time, he would have surpassed Johnson. 

Following the USATF’s announcement, Lyles took to his Instagram Stories to acknowledge his success in the 2025 season. He reshared a post from @trackfieldlife, which showed him as the 2025 200m world champion, world number one in the discipline with 1487 points, and the world leader with a 19.51s clock-in time in Tokyo. It was a subtle reminder that his performances still tower over much of the track and field world. 

Benjamin’s resume was too stacked to overlook. In Tokyo, he overcame a dramatic initial disqualification to reclaim his third straight World 400m hurdles title, clocking 46.52, one of the fastest times in history. On top of that, he contributed to Team USA’s 4x400m silver, and his sixth consecutive national title underscored a level of domestic dominance unmatched in the event. With a championship pedigree, consistency, and historic times on his resume, Benjamin became the clear favorite for USATF’s top honor.

Noah Lyles isn’t the only one to be overlooked. The USATF, in this instance, lifted the general displeasure that track heads had by honoring Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, whose name was out early from the last list by the World Athletics org for the best track athlete of the year. Jefferson-Wooden was named the 2025 Jackie Joyner Kersee Female Athlete of the Year.

However, Noah Lyles isn’t giving up. He’s all set to dominate the 2026 season.

Noah Lyles has high hopes for the 2026 season

Lyles is already set to kickstart his 2026 season with the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, scheduled for January 24. He reshared the official event poster featuring him along with Jake Wightman and Elle St. Pierre through his Instagram story. It was a subtle declaration that the 200m champion will dominate the 60m dash at the New Balance Indoor GP, and fans can watch him do so on NBC from 2 pm to 6 pm EST. 

Lyles’ win at the event might come easily, since he already has great acceleration systems in his legs. Last time, at the 2025 NB Indoor Grand Prix, he ran the distance in just 6.52s. Prior to that, in 2024, he set the meet record with a clock in time of 6.44s. And after dominating this time, we can indeed expect him to appear in the 2026 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Poland. 

With the upcoming season in mind, the 200m champ told the WWD, “Keep your head up and your eyes open. I think 2026 will be very big.”

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Furthermore, he’d also try to win the 200m dash at the World Championships for the fifth consecutive time and surpass Usain Bolt, who also has four consecutive World Championship wins in the 200m discipline. It’s crystal clear that Noah Lyles appears more motivated than ever.

Awards may have slipped away, but his ambitions certainly haven’t. With a renewed drive and a historic fifth World 200m title in sight, the stage is set for another defining chapter in his sprint legacy.