Noah Lyles posted a world-leading time of 9.79 seconds to win the 100-meter race at the U.S. athletics championships on Saturday at Icahn Stadium in New York City. This performance also matched his personal best, which he set when winning gold at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Lyles, 29, finished ahead of Ronnie Baker and Kenny Bednarek, who both recorded times of 9.88 seconds for second and third place, respectively. Former world champion Christian Coleman finished fourth with a time of 9.93 seconds.
"I think I made that 'I'm still the world's fastest man' statement," Lyles said after the race. He added that the fact it is an "off year" with no Olympics or World Championships does not mean he plans to run slower. "This is me being me and being me is dominant, being consistent."
In the women's 100-meter event, 2023 world champion Sha'Carri Richardson won with a time of 10.77 seconds. "It just feels phenomenal to be back in a better place, just healthy mentally, physically and emotionally," Richardson stated. "Everything me and coach have been working on, it's starting to show consistently."
The previous 2026 world-leading time for the 100m was 9.82 seconds, set by Jamaica's Oblique Seville in June.