‘Nothing New’ - Noah Lyles Dismisses Pressure Talk After Smashing Kishane Thompson’s World Record

‎Olympics 100m champion Noah Lyles is not surprised that he could set a world record in his first-ever 150m race.

Lyles took a quarter of a second off the world 150m best at the Ostrava Golden Spike in the Czech Republic, smashing Kishane Thompson's old mark, by running  14.67 seconds on Tuesday night.

‎The Olympic 100m champion and four-time world 200m champion did not look like a newcomer in the race as he commanded it from start to finish.

Lyles used his experience in both 100m and 200m to good effect as he shrugged off the challenge of his competitors, who included Australian teen sensation Gout Gout.

‎The American pulled ahead of Sinesipho Dambile at the bend, cutting the tape in  14.67, improving the world best of 14.92 set earlier this year by Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson, as the South African finished second in 14.78.

‎Gout Gout, back on track after a sixth place finish in 200m on his Diamond League debut in Oslo last week, finished strongly to take third in 14.96.

‎Lyles admitted feeling strange running competitively in 150m, a distance that he only takes part in during training, but was not surprised by his achievement.

‎"It was about time," said Lyles as quoted by World Athletics. "This feeling (to become the fastest in the world) - it's nothing new."

‎"It's very hard to get used to running from a staggered 150 start. We do it in practice, but that's without blocks. But all in all, I think that it was really good," added Lyles, the second man to win four straight 200m world titles since Usain Bolt.

‎Victory maintained Lyles' winning start to the season, adding to his triumphs at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Tokyo and the Rome Diamond League meeting.