America’s Noah Lyles underlined his dominance in the men’s 200 metres after clocking a blistering world-leading 19.51 seconds in his semi-final on Thursday night at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The three-time world champion surged through the line with intent, setting up a blockbuster final on Friday alongside compatriot Kenny Bednarek and Jamaica’s Bryan Levell, both of whom also impressed.
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Unlike Lyles, however, they eased off well before the finish.
Nigeria’s Udodi Chudi Onwuzurike missed out on a place in the final after finishing seventh in the same race with a time of 20.26 seconds.
The 22-year-old had advanced to the semi-finals by running 20.27 seconds on Wednesday.
Lyles, who earlier settled for bronze in the 100 metres following a late start to his season, looked composed on the start line of his favourite event.
Running in the third of three heats, he went out hard, determined to secure a prime lane for the final, and never let up.
Bednarek, still smarting from a fourth-place finish in the 100 metres, continued his strong form.
The two-time Olympic silver medallist in the 200m clocked 19.88 seconds, nearly identical to his heat performance, powering through the bend before easing home.
Levell also underlined Jamaica’s resurgence in sprinting with a comfortable 19.78 seconds.
The 20-year-old is aiming to deliver a sprint double for his country following Oblique Seville’s victory in the men’s 100 metres. Jamaica last achieved such a feat in 2015 during Usain Bolt’s golden era.
Botswana’s Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo recovered from his 100m disappointment, where he was disqualified for a false start, to qualify for the final in 19.95 seconds.
Zimbabwe’s Tapiwanashe Makarawu and South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile also progressed as the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers.
Australia’s teenage sensation Gout Gout, just 17 years old, bowed out after running 20.36 seconds for fourth in his heat.
All finalists ran sub-20 seconds in the semi-finals, setting the stage for a thrilling men’s 200m final on Friday night, to be held alongside the women’s final.
