Noah Lyles sprinted to the U.S. Championship title in a stunning 9.79 seconds, matching his career-best time that won him Olympic gold in Paris. This achievement also earned him the new world's best time in 2026, surpassing Jamaican rival Oblique Seville's 9.82 seconds last month.
It was a dominant display of speed for Lyles, who started behind in the race but finished strong, taking the gold. In his post-race interview, Lyles revealed his strategy: "In my head, the distance was already made up. I put my hand in their pocket. Don't let them get away. I saw where Christian was and I said 'I'll get my hands all the way in there.' And I just pulled them back and I did what I do."
This victory comes after a year of struggle for Lyles, who finished third behind Seville and Paris silver medalist Kishane Thompson at the world championships. However, it appears that Lyles has finally regained his form, and he's not done yet. "Shoot, I was just playing around this year. I'm scared for you all next year. I'm real scared, because you're not going to have this nice Noah who goes around and just thinks it's all lollygagging and good. Next year, I got plans. I got places to run fast. So you better pray, go to sleep and don't get scared when I run up on you," Lyles said in a statement that hinted at his future ambitions.
Meanwhile, Sha'Carri Richardson also won her third 100-meter national title with a time of 10.77 seconds, matching her best time since the U.S. Olympic trials in 2024. Richardson has had a challenging year, dealing with an unspecified injury in 2025 that left her finishing fifth in the world championships with a season-best 10.94 seconds. However, she has already bested that mark five times in 2026, indicating a strong recovery.
Richardson's victory is a testament to her hard work and dedication, as she explained in an interview with NBC Sports: "It just feels phenomenal to be back in a better place — healthy mentally, physically, emotionally. And it shows that hard work pays off. Everything me and coach [Dennis Mitchell] have been working on is starting to show consistently."
This U.S. Championship title marks a significant turnaround for both Lyles and Richardson, who found success in Paris two years ago but struggled to maintain that level in the time since. With their renewed form, fans can expect to see them competing at the top level once again in the coming months.
Source: Yahoo Sports