NEW YORK, July 23 (Reuters) - There is no such thing as an off year for Noah Lyles, as the Olympic gold medallist cruised through the opening heats of the 100 metres 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 semi-finals and is expected to contend in the 200 metres on Saturday.
"Some people take an off year as a year to not do stuff. 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," Lyles told reporters. "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 metser 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."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, editing by Ed Osmond)
