EUGENE — Coming off the turn into the homestretch of the Olympic Trials 200-meter final Saturday night not only was Noah Lyles, the reigning world champion at 100 and 200, trailing Kenny Bednarek but he was also behind Christian Coleman, the 2019 world 100 gold medalist.
“I was like, alright, don’t panic,” Lyles said.
An hour earlier Tara Davis-Woodhall, the world indoor champion, found herself in a similar position. After fouling on her first two jumps, the former Agoura High star was down to her last attempt to advance to the final eight competitors and three more shots at making Team USA.
“Honestly, that was one of the scariest moments of my career,” she said. “But I didn’t let it get into my head.”
Lyles and Davis-Woodhall would both prevail on night at Hayward Field that highlighted America’s depth in the sprints and the take your breath away drama and stories of redemption and resilience that the Trials delivers better than any other meet in the world.
Lyles chased down Bednarek to win in a world leading and meet record 19.53 seconds to sweep the Trials sprint titles and stay on course to win three, maybe four gold medals at the Olympic Games in Paris next month.
Bednarek finished in a personal best 19.59 followed by Erriyon Knighton in third in 19.77. Coleman (19.89) and Kyree King (19.90) both broke 20 seconds and still couldn’t make Team USA.
Davis-Woodhall played it safe on her third jump, landing in 21-feet, 9 1/2 inches to move into fifth place and popped a 22-11 3/4 sixth jump to secure the victory.”I’m not trying to peak for now,” said Davis-Woodhall, who admitted she has been battling what she suspects is a heel fracture in recent weeks. “I want to be in peak for a month from now.”
Gabby Thomas, the world silver medalist, took a similar approach in Eugene but nevertheless capped a gold medal caliber week with a 21.81 victory, the day after she went 21.78 in the semifinals.
“I feel like everything is coming together right where it needs to and I’ve done my job and you know,” Thomas said “now we’re looking at the gold medal.”
Thomas will be joined in Paris by Brittany Brown, who took second in 21.90, and rising star McKenzie Long in 21.96.
“I don’t want that to go unnoticed,” Thomas said. “That was an amazing 200 meter final.”
Throw in Chase Jackson’s 65-11 1/2 victory in the shot put and a women’s 10,000 final in which the first three finishers, Weini Kelati (31 minutes, 41.07), Parker Valby (31:41.56) and
Karissa Schweizer (31.41.56), were separated by less than half a second and the evening might have rendered Sunday’s final day anticlimactic if weren’t for the women’s 400 hurdles.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder, won the first of three semis in a world leading 52.48. Former USC standout Anna Cockrell won the third semi in a personal best 52.95. In between Shamier Little, a two-time world silver medalist, won her semi in a season’s best 53.49.
“I could see it taking 53 low if not 52 to be the last one on the team,” Cockrell said.
Lyles had hoped to put the 200 away early.
“The plan was to swallow (Bednarek) up in the first 50 meters,” Lyles said.
Instead Bednarek held a clear lead coming off the turn. Still Lyles stayed calm.
“I’ve been here many times before,” he said. “We’re going to get to the last 80. He’s going to fall and and I’m going to get faster.”
Sure enough Bednarek began to feel himself tighten up with 80 to go as Lyles began to build momentum.
“Aw, s—,” Bednarek recalled thinking.
The race was over.
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“By the time we got to the 80 meter mark, I’m like ‘alright, yeah, I got this race in the bag,’” Lyles said. “Let’s finish this up.
“I’m satisfied with the time. It’s right next to what I ran at World Championships last year (19.52),” continued Lyles, the American record holder at 19.31. “19.5 is pretty much my zip code, where like my average is 19.5. It’s like saying okay, you’re in your average area. And I mean, as we’re getting closer and closer to the Olympics, it’s like ‘alright fine.’”
And now Lyles will turn his attention to filling the two holes in his resume–an Olympic gold medal and a world record. Jamaica’s Usain Bolt holds both world records, 9.58 and 19.19.Lyles was also an overwhelming favorite to win the 200 three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics only to finish third.
“We’re getting faster and faster,” he said. “That’s the momentum that I want to see as we get closer to the Olympics. I feel like either of those world records are within reach this year, that they’re on our our list for this year. I say that the 200 is always like easier of the two. Not saying that they’re easy per se, but for sure that’s the one that I have my heart set on the most.”