Noah Lyles opened his 2026 indoor season with a strong performance, winning the 300m at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational in Gainesville, Florida. He clocked a blistering 32.60 seconds in a distance that he hasn’t run since 2017. Now, fast forward to three days, and the American sprinter has confirmed his next destination in a highly anticipated 2026 track and field season.

On an Instagram post, he wrote, “Boston. 300m. January 24, 2026. Season opener at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.” Now, this is a bit unusual for someone like Lyles, who usually aims for 60m in the early season’s indoor races.

In 2025, Lyles started his season at the RADD Sports College Invitational. He ran in the 60m, where he clocked 6.62 in the final, and then he headed towards the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. There, the American sprinter also ran in the 60m, winning the race with a time of 6.52 seconds. And if we go further back, there’s a similar pattern.

Indeed, in 2024, Lyles was locked for the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. His goals were to get as many gold medals as possible for Team USA. So, he opened his season directly at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, where he did win the 60m, clocking a blistering 6.43 seconds. However, the plans that he had for Glasgow didn’t work out in the way he thought, as he was just able to secure two silver medals, in the 60m and 4x400m relay.

For Lyles, he made his stance clear by making a social media post that had a few pictures from the time he was young. “2026 Goal: Expect the Unexpected,” he wrote in the Instagram post, and it clearly shows how serious he is about doing something completely out of the blue in this particular season. While the 300m isn’t a distance that is officially in any World Athletics events, this run may help Lyles to prepare for the future. If he has something planned.

Noah Lyles is potentially aiming for big things in the 2026 indoor season

This year will feature the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland. And obviously, just like many other athletes, Noah Lyles will be attending this premier event, where he will aim big. Last time, he missed out on his gold medal quest in Glasgow.

“There are tons of people out there who claim that I have horrible starts. But you know, somebody with a horrible start can’t get a silver medal or run 6.43 in the 60,” he said, responding to a lot of criticism, following the event. What Lyles lacked in 2024 was that the American was selected over Fred Kerley (which also caused another controversy and dispute with the athlete) in the 4x400m relay team, and he didn’t run in the 400m for a long time.

This did change in 2025, however, as Lyles ran in the 400m at the Tom Jones Memorial, clocking a 45.87 seconds, and crossing the finish line in 5th place. In 2026, the athlete already surprised the entire fan base by running in the 300m. Prior to the 300m at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational, the American did post a few training videos, but no one actually expected him to run that distance.

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So, if Lyles continues to train at higher distances (300m and 400m) leading up to the World Athletics Indoor Championships, he might be aiming for multiple gold medals, which he missed out on in 2024. This is an ambition that has been burning inside him for a long time, and as someone who watches a lot of shonen anime, Lyles knows never to give up.