Sprinter Noah Lyles sets American record in 200 meters, wins world title in 19.31 seconds as U.S. men take top 3 spots at track and field championships

EUGENE, Ore. — Noah Lyles crouched down, put his hands on his knees and glared at the clock. Not seeing what he'd hoped for, he waved his hand dismissively and walked back toward the track to celebrate what was still a long-awaited win Thursday in the 200 meters at the world championships.

Oh, but this night would just keep getting better.

The clock that, for a moment, read «19.32,» would adjust down a tick to «19.31.» That meant he broke Michael Johnson's hallowed, 26-year-old American record — a mark that, for decades, seemed unreachable.

And then, the scoreboard that, at first, only had Lyles' name on it, popped up with the names of the two finishers behind him. Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton of the U.S. The Americans swept the 200, just as they had the 100 four nights earlier.

Lyles pounded his hand on the track four times, stood up straight and ripped off his jersey. He grabbed his medal from the presenter, then went over and hugged his family and grabbed an American flag — one of many that have been needed at these championships on home turf. The sweep gave the U.S. 22 medals through seven days.

Lyles' 19.31 was the third-fastest time in history, behind only Usain Bolt's 19.19 in 2009 and a 19.26 run two years later by another Jamaican. Yohan Blake, while he was briefly pushing Bolt for supremacy.

But Michael Johnson and those gold shoes he wore to run his 19.32 at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 have a pretty big place in track history, too.

«I saw the time pop up and saw I tied Michael Johnson's record,» Lyles said. «I was like 'Really, you're going to do me like that?' Then, that number changed from two to a one and my whole world changed.»

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