Usain Bolt Aims Brutal Dig at Noah Lyles, Reminds World He Is Still ‘King’

• Usain Bolt's world records are safe
• Noah Lyles promised to break one of them at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, but he fell short
• Bolt has directed a jibe at the American who won three gold medals at the event

In the build-up to the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Noah Lyles promised fans he would break Usain Bolt's 200m world record and would run the 100m in 9.65 seconds, the second fastest time ever.

He failed to break those two records, but he went home with three gold medals in the 100m, 200m and the 4x100 relay.

Weeks before the 19th global athletics event, he meticulously details his plans for the competition.

“There is what I will accept, and then there’s what my greatest expectation is,” he said. “What I will accept is grabbing a medal in the 100m, whatever color, and winning the 200m. My greatest aspiration is that I will grab three golds, gain a world record in the 200m,” via NBC Sports.

Fastest Men in the World in 2023: Ferdinand Omanyala 2nd ahead of Kerley, Noah Lyles

Athletics

He achieved most of those goals, but he fell short in the 200m world record. Still, he surpassed expectations in the 100m final. He clocked a world-leading time of 9.83 seconds ahead of Letsile Tebogo and Zharnel Hughes, per World Athletics.

His 200m target was a time of 19.10 seconds, a time that would've broken Usain Bolt's 19.19 seconds he ran at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin. Lyles won gold in Budapest in a time of 19.52.

Last year, Lyles went into the World Championships looking to defend his title. He won the final in 19.31, breaking Michael Johnson’s American record. That is also the second fastest time ever behind Bolt and Yohan Blake's 19.26.

Bolt calls out Lyles

Bolt is the greatest sprinter of all time, and the numbers speak for themselves. In Berlin, he was just 22 years old, and he set the standard no athlete has ever come close to.

Fastest 200m times in 2023 ahead of the World Athletics Championships

Athletics

He clocked 9.58 seconds in the 100m and 19.19 in the 200m. Many great athletes have come and gone, but his record is still standing.

Shortly after the USA won the men's 4x100 relay gold in Budapest, Bolt had a few words, perhaps for Lyles.

"Still the bolt era," he wrote on his Instagram story.

This means he felt Lyles could break one of his records.

Botl has won eight gold medals at the Olympics and 11 gold medals at the World Athletics Championships. He was part of the team that set the world record for the men's 4x100 relay. They registered an astonishing time of 36.84 seconds at the London Olympics in 2012.

Lyles equals Bolt's record

Sports Brief earlier reported on Lyles equaling Bolt's record after winning the 200m gold in Budapest.

Lyles joined Usain Bolt as the only man to win three consecutive 200m world titles. Bolt actually did it on four successive occasions during the height of his dominance from 2009 to 2015.

5 major talking points as World Athletics Championships kick off in Budapest

Athletics

The other person to have three consecutive world titles is retired American all-rounder Allyson Felix.

Lyles also became the first person since Bolt in 2015 to win the 100m and 200m at the same Championships.