Noah Lyles makes bold Usain Bolt world record claim after defeating Letsile Tebogo to win Diamond League finals

Noah Lyles has his eyes set on the elusive world records set by Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt. The American sprinter recently proved his mettle by defeating reigning Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo from Botswana to win the Diamond League finals held at Zurich in Switzerland.

The 28-year-old sprinter recently talked about the final race, as well as his future targets for the World Championships, scheduled to be held in Tokyo from September 13 onwards. In his conversation with Athletics Weekly, Lyles mentioned that he didn't see how he performed during the race, but he knew that he did better than his previous races.

"I thought that I executed the race pretty well in terms of my start and my acceleration. I felt that I got my hips underneath me and I was able to put a lot of power into the ground. I was definitely able to prove that as we got to the end of the race, where I wasn't fatiguing as more as I was striking into the ground and able to, um, let's see, get the end of that," Lyles said. [2:10 onwards]

The Olympic champion sprinter further revealed his aim to break the world record in men's 200m as he added,

"It's weird. I um, I don't know. This this idea has been like circulating in my head like of um, if there was option to get any color medal in the 100m but then break the WR in the 200m. I might take that WR." [3:00 onwards]

Noah Lyles topped the men's 200m event at the Diamond League finals with a timing of 19.74 seconds. Letsile Tebogo came second with a timing of 19.76 seconds.

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Noah Lyles opens up about competing in many events

Noah Lyles talks about competing in multiple events [Image Source : Getty]

Noah Lyles once talked about competing in multiple events. The Olympic champion sprinter wants to break Usain Bolt's record of winning three Olympic gold medals in a single event.

In his conversation with the USA Today, Lyles mentioned,

“That’s right. I want to do all that. Last year, I did the double. This year, we’ve gone very strong in the weight room, and it’s been able to give me the ability to handle more load. I think I was able to prove that when we went over to Glasgow."

If Noah Lyles has to achieve the impossible at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, he needs to win gold medals in the men's 100m, men's 200m, men's 400m, and men's 4x100m relay. Though it's easier said than done, Lyles has the capability to give the best a run for their money.