“I have two byes into the World Championships, so there’s no need to rush anything,” Noah Lyles said this last month, hinting that he isn’t in any rush at all. But we don’t need to remind you that the 100m field this year looks extremely competitive. One glance at the 2025 world lead list and you’ll know. That’s because 22 men have already achieved sub-10s timings this year. But surprisingly, the reigning 100m World and Olympic champion is missing. We’re just 3 months away from the World Championships in Tokyo, and he is completely off the radar. No wonder his absence has now started to raise eyebrows, more because his top competitors have bounced back in the business.

We’re nine days into June 2025, and Noah Lyles is yet to open his season in the 100m. He has run 6 races so far: four in the 60 metres, one in the 400 metres, and a third in the 4x100m relay quartet. But interestingly, he hasn’t run a single race in either of the distances he will be out to defend in Tokyo soon. And his 100 and 200 metre absence is now starting to concern an American track and field coach.

On June 9, Coach Rob Track and Field added a YouTube video titled, “Can Noah Lyles Catch Every 100m Threat Before it’s Too Late?” Well, this isn’t just a title. This might be a legit question that many would be asking, including Coach Rob himself. He said, “Everybody else on the world stage who wants to be there at the World Championships has had to run by now and they have run multiple races for the most part. So we’re starting to get an idea of who’s legit and who is not.” Noah has been out of the scene entirely.

He then grouped Noah Lyles‘ competitors into 3 categories. The real contenders to Noah Lyles’ throne this season, as per Coach Rob, are athletes like Kishane Thompson, Kenny Bednarek, Akani Simbine, and Trayvon Bromell. These 4 have a few commonalities. They have run multiple 100m races this season, so they are in touch. All of them have dipped sub-10s multiple times in these past months. Especially Bromell and Thompson, who have joined the club quite recently, after the Rome Diamond League and the Racers Grand Prix. And Kenny? Oh, he has been in some spotless form so far with his Grand Slam Track 100m three-peat.

No wonder, looking at all these dynamics, Coach Rob claimed, “Regardless of what the clock has to say when he [Noah Lyles] shows up in championships, for the last two years now, he’s figured out how to be the man in front when it was all done. But I’m pretty sure doing it this year is going to be harder than all the rest of them because like I said before the man has a whole bunch of competition that is gunning for him…” 

Coach Rob looked at these performance trends and said, “If the first half of this season is any indication, him [Lyles] going out there to win this championship is going to be even harder than anything he’s ever done up until now….” It’s clear that the odds are stacked against Lyles this season. And it’s not just because of these top 4. There’s also Fred Kerley, who has had immense 100m practice this season. Then there are younglings like Jordan Anthony, Brandon Hiclin, who are clocking top-notch timings. So, the field is as stacked as ever. On top of this, Noah Lyles just had an injury scare in 2025. He experienced an issue with a tight ankle, which forced him to withdraw from the Atlanta City Games at the last minute.

London is a big chance for Noah Lyles

It’s not like Noah Lyles hasn’t run in the 100-200m circuit on purpose. At least at the Atlanta City Games, he was slated to be running before he had to sit out due to a tight ankle, making it easier for Akani Simbine to add another 100m win to his bag. Lyles confessed, “Unfortunately, I just have a really tight ankle. It kind of surprised us a couple of weeks ago. We came up [to Atlanta] thinking that anything could happen, it could loosen up. [But] it wasn’t getting better and I need to play it safe….”

Of course, he played it safe and didn’t sound worried about defending his World titles. But now, the clock is still ticking, and he has one good chance to test the waters before September. And that’s the London Diamond League. The timeline of it can be a crucial litmus test for Noah Lyles. The meet is scheduled just weeks before the U.S. Olympic Trials and two months ahead of the World Championships, making it one of the last major opportunities for Lyles to measure himself against international competition.

Back in 2023, his first appearance at this meeting gave him a 200m win. One month later, Lyles went on to win the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m at the World Championships in Budapest. And this year, he’s planning a similar trajectory. No wonder he said, “My road to defending my world titles in Tokyo in September goes through London.” 

Hopefully, he comes in late but unfurls magic in London. What do you think? Let us know below!