Noah Lyles on bold world record prediction for 2023 World Athletics Championships: “I’m definitely going to say what I believe I can do”
The two-time world champion has said he envisions running a world record time in the 200m and a personal best in the 100m in the near future. “If Noah's running 9.65, I’m running faster,” responded 100m world champion Fred Kerley.
Athletics
Noah Lyles has doubled down on his bold predictions for the 100m and 200m events during a media press conference a day before the beginning of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
“I’m a firm believer in speaking things into existence,” Lyles said, referring to the marks of 19.10 he has predicted he will run in the 200m and 9.65 in the 100m.
The first of those times would be a new 200m world record, shattering the 19.19 Usain Bolt set all the way back in 2009. The 100m prediction would see him slash over 0.2 seconds off of his current personal best of 9.86 and set a time that would have handily won both the Olympic title in Tokyo 2020 and the world title in 2022.
But Lyles has no regrets about speaking out about just what he feels he can achieve in his favoured sprint distances.
“I lived my whole life fighting,” he said. “All my early years was just fighting to get out of hospital. After that it was just fighting to get out of school with dyslexia and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), trying to find my own way, now fighting on the track.
“I don’t have a problem with saying what my dreams are... If you don't believe you’re going to run fast, you don't believe in yourself. I don't care if you guys believe I can do it or not. I don’t even care if I don’t do it, but I’m definitely going to say what I believe.”
Fred Kerley: Anything you can do, I can do better
If Lyles is to achieve his goals at this year’s Worlds in Budapest, he will need to overcome the challenge of reigning world 100m champion Fred Kerley, who was quick to respond to the predictions of his teammate and rival.
“I’m Fred Kerley and it's my title,” the former 400m runner said when introducing himself. “If Noah's running 9.65, I’m running faster.”
"That's what they all say until they get beat," replied Lyles.
It shows the American duo is in fighting mood heading into these World Championships that take place just a year before the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
And the bullish talk wasn’t just reserved for each other.
“I don’t think we’re too worried about him,” Kerley replied when asked what he thought about the challenge of Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs, who is also scheduled to compete in Budapest.
“I ain’t got nothing more to say,” added Lyles.
Noah Lyles: ‘If my coach is getting excited I have good reason to believe I’m going to do something I've never done before'
While Lyles seems to be brimming with confidence before these championships, it is unusual for him to make such specific predictions about the times he is chasing.
But according to the Florida native, his performances in training have given him the evidence he needed to believe that something special is brewing.
“Confidence is an interesting word, because when you think about confidence a lot of people think it’s automatic and comes out of nowhere. In reality, it comes from multiple wins, multiple confirmations," he explained, before adding:
“Going into USAs with COVID would definitely do off that confidence or mentality, but making the team only strengthened it. Coming back two weeks later and running 19.4 [in the 200m] is just like, this is solidified.
"As I'm going through practice every day, it's like, 'alright, I'm seeing the proof... I'm seeing numbers I've never hit before.
“If he [my coach" is getting excited, and he is a guy who doesn’t get excited at all, then I have a good reason to believe that I’m going to do something that I've never done before”