Athletics-Lyles blasts into 200m final with 19.51 seconds

World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 - Men's 200m Semi-Final - Japan National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - September 18, 2025 Noah Lyles of the U.S. crosses the finish line to win his heat REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

TOKYO (Reuters) - Noah Lyles showed that he is still the man to beat over 200 metres when the three-times world champion scorched to a huge world-leading 19.51 seconds in his semi-final on Thursday.

It sets up a mouth-watering Friday final with fellow American Kenny Bednarek and Jamaican Bryan Levell, who were similarly impressive but, unlike Lyles who ran hard through the line, turned the burners off 50 metres out.