Noah Lyles opens up on how competing against Christian Coleman helped him gain confidence

Despite being serial track rivals, triple World champion Noah Lyles has credited 60m world record holder Christian Coleman for his consistency in the sport.

Lyles admitted that if he would not have been competing against his compatriot Coleman, he would never have been able to make great milestones in the sport.

He added that competing against Coleman helped him gain enough confidence that would see him take on everybody without an ounce of fear.

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“If I hadn’t faced Christian so many times, I couldn’t have boosted my confidence enough to say, ‘I’m ready to come out here and take on everybody.’ So, I thank this man truly because he is who he is,” Lyles, standing next to Coleman, told NBC Sports.

The two-time world 200m champion beat a strong field in the 60m final at the US Indoor Championships to automatically qualify for the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland where he will be debuting.

Lyles clocked a Personal Best time of 6.43 seconds for his first win in four career 60m finals against Coleman. Coleman’s world record from 2018 is 6.34.

Lyles began his 2024 season with a personal best of 6.51 in the 60m. He admitted that lowering his PB this indoor season can translate this summer to lowering his 200m personal best to 19.10, which would break Usain Bolt’s world record of 19.19.

“Eight years I’ve been trying to work on my start, my acceleration, my first 60. If they can’t beat me here (in the 60m), you can’t beat me anywhere,” he added.

Lyles and Coleman each hope to become the first American man to win an Olympic 100m title since 2004. First, they must make the U.S team by placing in the top three at June’s trials.

Coleman won the 2019 World 100m title and was the world’s fastest man in the Tokyo Olympic cycle, but missed those Games while suspended for missing drug tests.

Last August, Lyles became the first man to sweep the 100m and 200m at a World Championships since Usain Bolt in 2015, while Coleman placed fifth in the 100m. Coleman, Lyles and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes finished 2023 tied for the best 100m time for the year.