Noah Lyles surged past Kenny Bednarek to win a heated 200-metre race in a world-leading time at the USA Track and Field Championships on Sunday, turning to stare down Bednarek as the sprint rivals crossed the finish line.
Lyles, the three-times world champion in the event, trailed coming off the bend but stormed to the front to cross in 19.63 seconds, the fastest time in the world this season in a huge statement ahead of next month’s World Championships in Tokyo.
Bednarek, winner of Friday’s 100m, finished in 19.67, and then shoved Lyles in the back after they crossed. Lyles turned angrily with arms raised before the two exchanged words and finally shook hands.
“It was a pretty difficult championship,” said Lyles, who has been hampered with an ankle injury this season. “I’ve been tired. It’s been rough, coming out here when you’re not 100 per cent.”
Lyles had not needed to compete in Eugene, Oregon to qualify for Tokyo, as he already had a bye in both the 100m and 200m as the reigning champion.
Their anger spilled into their trackside NBC interview. “If you’ve got a problem, I expect a call,” Bednarek said. Lyles replied: “You know what, you’re right… Let’s talk after this.”
Asked about the look and shove, Bednarek said: “I’m not going to say it out here, but we got something to do and talk about.”
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won the women’s 200m to become the first woman to sweep the 100m and 200m titles since 2003, while 200m Olympic champion Gabby Thomas needed a photo finish to sneak into the top-three spots for a world championship ticket.
Jefferson-Wooden led from the gun to finish in 21.84, while Anavia Battle ran 22.13 for second and Thomas had a late surge to finish tied with Brittany Brown in 22.20. A photo finish had Thomas beating Brown for the last spot on the world team by one-thousandth of a second.
The final was missing Sha’Carri Richardson, who finished fourth in her semi-final and failed to advance.
Richardson, who was arrested earlier this week for domestic violence at a Seattle Airport, withdrew from the 100m semis earlier at the U.S. trials, but is guaranteed a spot in the 100m in Tokyo as the reigning world champion.
Donavan Brazier announced his triumphant return after nearly three years away with victory in the men’s 800m. The 2019 world champion, who spent much of the last three years injured, crossed in 1:42.16, while high school student Cooper Lutkenhaus shattered the world under-18 record with his 1:42.27 clocking.
“I always pictured this happening, but I don’t know if it would come true,” Brazier told NBC.
This year’s NCAA champion Roisin Willis was the surprise winner in the women’s 800m crossing in 1:59.26 after a late surge to the front.
Cole Hocker ran a sizzling final lap to win the men’s 5,000m a day after racing to bronze in the 1500m, the event in which he won gold at the Paris Olympics.
Three-times world silver medallist Sandi Morris cleared 4.83m to win the women’s pole vault.
Ja’Kobe Tharp won a 110m hurdles race missing Paris Olympic champion Grant Holloway, who was the fifth fastest qualifier in the semis but elected not to run the final since he has a bye for Tokyo, where he will be aiming for his fourth world outdoor title.
