New York ¨C There is no such thing as ?an off year for Noah Lyles, as the Olympic gold medalist cruised through the opening heats of the 100 meters at the U.S. championships on Thursday, hungry to fit more competition into ?his calendar.
A year without an Olympics or world championships ?has deprived ?the meet of its usual suspense, marking ?the first time since 2018 that the U.S. nationals did not serve as a qualifying event for the two global ?competitions.
But the most famous American man on the track brought the energy ?to New York, winning his heat at Icahn Stadium in a comfortable 9.97 seconds. He will ?compete in Friday¡¯s semifinals and ?is expected to contend in the 200 on Saturday.
¡°Some people take an off ?year as a ?year to not do stuff,¡± Lyles told reporters. ¡°I¡¯m winning ?and still doing stuff. And I don¡¯t see that ?as ?a reason to stop doing what I¡¯m best at, which is getting out here and running fast. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re not particularly looking to peak ?at any certain meet.¡±
Lyles, 29, was among the automatic qualifiers in the 100 and 200 meters for September¡¯s ¡°Ultimate Championships¡± in Budapest, a new addition to the World Athletics calendar meant to ?keep ?the spotlight turned on during a quiet year ?for the sport. His participation in the Ultimate Championships was ?in question late last year, but Lyles has emerged as one of the meet¡¯s biggest proponents, as World Athletics announced he would serve as ¡°Ultimate MC¡± and creative advisor.
¡°I ?plan to win that. I¡¯m planning to stay in shape all the way till that,¡± Lyles told reporters. ¡°That means that I¡¯m going to show up every time I race.¡±
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