Noah Lyles was already looking forward to 2027 after securing his fourth straight 200m gold at the Tokyo World Championships. In his defense, four consecutive golds in the event tie him to the legendary Usain Bolt. But if he could get five, he would be the lone star at the top. However, before the competition could even end in Tokyo, Lyles already has an opponent forcing him to hold his horses.

After winning a gold medal for the 400m hurdles, Rai Benjamin had one update to share. “I won’t be racing too much next year, but I told Noah he better watch out because I am running two next year, and the fours. That’s my announcement, no hard feelings,” grinned Benjamin. Honestly, he may not be making hollow promises.

Case in point: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 400m event. The hurdler switched to a 400m flat race this year, posting a blitzing 47.78, just short of Marita Koch’s world record (47.60), set in 1985 to win gold in her debut in Tokyo. If Benjamin also wants to finally make a switch, he has two years now to prove to himself what he can truly achieve. 

With her thunderous victory, McLaughlin-Levrone now has the chance of overtaking even Usain Bolt and Jackie Joyner-Kersee as the track star with the most records. Naturally, seeing his national teammate grabbing history by the scruff, Rai Benjamin also feels like he has a shot at replicating the feat. But his win in the 400mH did not come without some head-turning moments.

Rai Benjamin had a rollercoaster ride to the men’s 400mH title in Tokyo. Despite crossing the finishing line first with a season-best time of 46.52 seconds, the reigning Olympic champ was initially disqualified. The reason? Benjamin knocked over the last hurdle, which ended up in the way of  Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel. However, an appeal, backed by Alison dos Santos and the defending world champ, Karsten Warholm, swayed the final verdict in Benjamin’s favor.

After being able to wear the gold around his neck and a gold paper crown from a young fan on his head, the 28-year-old said, “Anyone knows who runs the 400 hurdles, when you’re coming home that fast, knows the lactic (acid) and the fatigue sets in. That’s why hurdle 10 was like that. I tried my best to stay upright and run home.

“What’s a world championships without a little bit of drama. It kind of adds to the story line. I tried my best to control my emotions down there and figure out what it was that was actually going on. Thankfully, things went my way.” Now, the American has his eyes on fellow sprinter Lyles.

And what better way to do it than by taking on the best there is: Noah Lyles? But Lyles also has plans for himself to make sure his high seat isn’t pulled from under him.

Noah Lyles isn’t ceding ground so easily to Rai Benjamin

Winning gold in Tokyo, the 28-year-old track star has now matched Usain Bolt’s feat: Four consecutive golds in the men’s 200m. “I am proud to be able to show all my skills,” he said about the race, and how he managed to shift into gear in the second half of the race to bag a 19.52 finish at the National Stadium. Now, knowing that he has what it takes to dominate the 200, Lyles obviously can’t stop pursuing the opportunity to surpass Bolt by winning the title again at the 2027 World Championships. However, his plans seem to be much bigger than that.

Last year, Lyles had a disappointing end to the 200m final at the Paris Olympics. Running with COVID-19, the athlete couldn’t replicate his feat from the 100m final and had to settle for bronze. Naturally, he felt like things could have been dramatically different if he were in full form. Fans immediately wanted to know if Lyles was looking forward to the 2028 LA Olympics to redeem himself, and he didn’t hesitate to reveal his grand plan.

“I’m thinking Brisbane,” Lyles told The Philadelphia Inquirer after the 2024 Olympic Games. The significance of the statement? He plans to compete at the 2032 Olympics, slated to be hosted by Australia! That would mean Lyles and Rai Benjamin will have a lot of time to cross paths if the latter really decides to transcend into the flat-out. Who do you think will fare better if they do? Let us know!