Jamaican track legend explains why Noah Lyles has the ability to break the 200m world record

Jamaican track legend explains why Noah Lyles has the ability to break the 200m world record

Abigael Wafula 12:40 - 11.05.2024

A Jamaican track legend has explained why it will be easier for Noah Lyles to break the 200m world record than the 100m record.

Asafa Powell, the Jamaican track legend, has explained why triple world champion Noah Lyles is in a better position to shatter the 200m world record that has stood the test of time.

Powell, speaking in an interview with Athletics Weekly, explained that the 100m was very fast and it would take time for the current crop of sprinters to even clock times closer to it.

He emphasised, however, Lyles can run closer to the 200m world record which currently stands at 19.19 seconds and was set by Usain Bolt at the 2009 World Championships. The 100m world record was also set by Bolt, who clocked 9.58.

Lyles fastest time in the 200m is 19.31, a time he set during the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon at the Hayward Field.

“I see Noah Lyles can go closer to the world record in the 200m but the 100m is phenomenal and will be unbeatable for a very long time. For the 200m, I think Usain Bolt could have gone faster. The 200m is easier to challenge but the 100m is difficult,” Powell said.

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He also observed that the sprinting era has greatly changed since he retired from the sport and nowadays, fans have a huge influence in the way athletes run.

He insisted that the bar ha been set so high by the fans and athletes always have to run faster times to be considered great.

“It has changed a lot because you know but it’s a new era and these are new guys but it is notable that the energy we brought to the sport is completely different and these new ones are bringing a different kind of energy. I think right now, the bar has been set so high and there are expectations from the fans.

“We need time for the younger ones to mature in the sport and we just have to wait…in the US, they build sprinters like every day but in Jamaica, the transition from junior to senior takes longer but we shall be back,” he added.

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