Noah Lyles has been dominating the 200m division lately. Lyles successfully defended his 200m world championship title against strong opposition. He faced off against fellow teammate Erriyon Knighton and Canadian Andre De Grasse at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. The result was an emphatic win for Lyles, who secured his second gold in 19.52 seconds.

Knighton came in second with 19.75 seconds to claim silver. More recently in Zurich Diamond League, both athletes recreated their one-two finish in a race that could have gone either way for a brief second.

Noah Lyles wins again

As the two teammates got ready to face off each other once again, Lyles was hoping for a repeat of Budapest, while Knighton wanted to take over the 200m crown. The result? A repeat of Budapest as Noah Lyles won the race in 19.80 seconds, while Erriyon Knighton finished a close second with 19.87 seconds. This result meant a one-two repeat for the Americans who have been leaving everyone behind in the 200m discipline. Zharnel Hughes finished third with 19.94 seconds while American runner Kenny Bednarek had to settle for fourth as he ran 19.98 seconds.

The men’s 200m has become Noah Lyles’ forte, and he has three world championship medals and one Olympic medal to show for it. In fact, he has now defended his 200m crown for three straight world championships, which is remarkable in itself. Only Usain Bolt and Allyson Felix are the two other athletes who have successfully defended the 200m world title three or more times. As Lyles won the 200m in epic style, he also ended up being the target of the NBA world for some of his comments during a post-event press conference.

NBA World Targets Track star

After a dominant 200m display, Lyles mentioned to the media, “You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head. World champion of what? The United States?” This deeply offended the NBA world, who clapped back at Lyles by trolling him online. NBA star and Olympic winner Kevin Durant reacted with, “Somebody help this brother.” Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Devin Booker showcased his emotion with a facepalm emoji as a reaction to Lyles’ comments.

Read more: “Controversy Sells”: Noah Lyles under ‘Clout Shade’ after Dropping the Perfect NBA Publicity Stunt

As the controversy continues to pick pace, Lyles delivered another impressive 200m performance to shut down his haters. With the Paris Olympics fast approaching, Noah Lyles will be looking to shut off all outside noise and focus on not only getting medals in Paris but also to prepare Usain Bolt’s long-standing world records.

Watch this story: Witness the Genesis of the Legend of Noah Lyles: The Finish You Know, the Start You Don’t