Lyles trying to fill Bolt void

BUDAPEST, August 21

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Since his retirement in 2017, athletics has routinely asked “where is the new Usain Bolt?” but newly-minted world 100 metres champion Noah Lyles is doing his best on and off the track to bring his sport firmly into the public limelight.

The double world 200m champion claimed the 100m title with a personal best 9.83 seconds yesterday, backing up his prediction of glory, if not quite the predicted 9.65 time, and will now seek to become the first man since Bolt to do the world sprint double.

His achievements are being followed by the latest “behind the scenes” documentary and Lyles, 26, is proud to be doing his bit for a sport that, in the United States in particular, has to fight tooth and nail for attention. “I believe track and field needs to market itself better, it needs to be fun,” Lyles said after his victory, the fourth in a row in the event for the US.

“It’s easy to market me, I’m out there, but there are other stories, other approaches. I feel we have everything you need in track and that needs to be told better. Winning the 100 metres always helps, a double helps more and a treble helps even more,” he added. Lyles expects to claim a third successive 200m title, and the US will start as hot favourites in the 4x100m relay. — Reuters