Noah Lyles has always loved to brag. He doesn’t just run fast; he talks fast, thinks fast, and somehow makes you believe he could actually catch Usain Bolt. At the Paris Olympics, he went public, saying he was gunning for Bolt’s 100m and 200m records. Didn’t happen. Next goal? The 2025 World Athletics Championships. Results? Lyles grabbed bronze in the 100m. But here’s the thing: bronze isn’t a defeat for Lyles; it’s fuel. Hungry, motivated, and brimming with swagger, he’s already plotting his next conquest: the 200m, where he’s chasing history and aiming to match Bolt’s legendary record of four consecutive world 200m titles. History is calling, and Lyles is answering loud.

Lining up against him in the 200m are his fiercest rivals: Letsile Tebogo, the 22-year-old Olympic champion from Botswana, and Kenny Bednarek, his U.S. rival. Remember Paris? Tebogo gold, Bednarek silver, Lyles bronze. But Tokyo will be different, and Lyles knows it. Recently, he opened up about the 200m in a YouTube interview shared by CITIUS MAG. “I want to ask you about the 200…We’ve heard what Tebogo said… we know that it’s your baby… what does that race mean to you this year,” the interviewer asked. Lyles shared his plan.

His reply was full of swagger, as he explained that if the choice was between any color medal in the 100 or breaking the record in the 200, he would pick the latter. “I think I might take the 2,” he said. “I know that my 100s and 200s actually don’t translate one-to-one as I would like; usually, when I have my best 200s, my 100s aren’t as fast. So, I don’t know, there’s a lot of excitement going on in the 200. Obviously, I have the energy obviously I have the motivation. I don’t plan to lose; I plan to go out there full force, jump off the cliff, so to say, with all enthusiasm into this race.” But can Lyles? Well, his form this season gives him every reason for his confidence.

He tops the 2025 world list with a time of 19.53 from the US Trials, matching the record of five national 200m titles held by legends Michael Johnson and Ralph Metcalfe. That race was electric: he overtook Bednarek in the final strides, stared him down, and received a shove in return. However, Tebogo has a season-best of 19.76, Bednarek 19.57, and at the Diamond League Final in Zurich, Lyles beat Tebogo again but by a razor-thin 0.02 seconds. And now next race…

This isn’t just another race. A fourth straight world 200m crown would place Noah Lyles alongside Usain Bolt- a feat reserved for the rarest of sprinters. Letsile Tebogo is hungry, Kenny Bednarek relentless, and Lyles? Brash and determined to turn swagger into history. But, Tebogo, in particular, will be looking to erase the sting of his 100m disqualification, a race he couldn’t even run to finish.

Bednarek still hasn’t forgiven Noah Lyles’ stare-down

At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, the men’s 100m final turned heads and shook expectations. Jamaica’s Oblique Seville burst out of the blocks and sprinted to gold in a personal best 9.77 seconds, unseating reigning champion Noah Lyles, who had to settle for bronze at 9.89. Kishane Thompson, also Jamaican, snagged silver in 9.82, while Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo faced heartbreak with a false start disqualification. U.S. sprinter Kenny Bednarek just missed the podium, finishing fourth in 9.92. But the tension for the 200m is only heating up.

Off the track, the tension simmers just as fiercely. Bednarek hasn’t forgotten his clash with Lyles at the 2025 USATF Championship 200m final. There,  Lyles narrowly defeated Bednarek with a world-leading time of 19.53 seconds, edging out his rival by just 0.04 seconds. As Lyles crossed the finish line, he turned and stared down Bednarek, a gesture that Bednarek interpreted as a taunt.

In response, Bednarek shoved Lyles from behind, leading to a brief verbal exchange between the two athletes. Bednarek later criticized Lyles’ actions as “unsportsmanlike,” emphasizing that it was Lyles’ on-track conduct, not his words, that upset him.

He stated, “Don’t do that to me. I don’t do any of that stuff. I think it’s not good character right there.” Despite acknowledging Lyles’ victory, Bednarek expressed a desire for respect and hinted at a strong rivalry heading into future competitions. However,  Tebogo, despite his 100m disqualification in Tokyo, is already eyeing redemption. “

I’ve got no choice… nothing more to lose,” he said, determination he’ll bring to the 200m. The 200m looms: Lyles, Tebogo, Bednarek. Speed meets grudges, legacy meets ambition. One will rise, one will fall, the world is watching.