Lyles completes sprint double on Day 7 of World Athletics Championships

BUDAPEST – Thundering to his third straight World Championships 200 gold, Noah Lyles completed the sprint double and capped off a four-medal night for Team USATF on day 7 of the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Center. The U.S. earned two medals in each of the 200 finals to top the table with 23, eight of them gold. The U.S. also pulled farther ahead in the team point standings with 217, 113 ahead of Jamaica and better than the next three nations combined.
 
Lyles looked almost superhuman against the best men's 200 field ever assembled at the World Championships. The 100 champion on Sunday, Lyles sped away down the stretch to win his third straight title in 19.52. The American record holder didn't have a big lead off the turn, but stepped on the gas and pulled away over the last 70 meters, leaving silver medalist Erriyon Knighton in his wake at 19.75, with Botswana's Letsile Tebogo nabbing bronze in 19.81. Kenny Bednarek ended up fifth in 20.07. 
 
In becoming the first American man to win the 100/200 double at the World Championships since Tyson Gay in 2007, Lyles also became the only man besides Jamaican legend Usain Bolt to win three 200 golds in a row. His 19.52 is equal seventh on the all-time U.S. performer list. Knighton's silver gives the 19-year-old two World Championships medals after he took bronze at Oregon22.
 
Coming oh-so-close again to the women's 200 world record of 21.34 that has stood since 1988, reigning champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica ran the second-fastest time ever and set a meet record of 21.41 to win by .4 seconds over Gabby Thomasand Sha'Carri Richardson. Jackson was in lane six, with Thomas in eight and Richardson on the outside in nine, and the Jamaican ran an exceptional curve to make up the stagger by the end of the turn. Thomas and Richardson kept their composure and outran the rest of the field for silver and bronze, with Thomas clocking 21.81 and Richardson a PB 21.92. It was the first two-medal performance in the 200 by U.S. women since 2011.
 
Venezuela's world record holder and three-time defending champion Yulimar Rojas sweated it out through three rounds of the women's triple jump, recording a best of only 14.33/47-0.25 to sneak into the top eight for three more jumps. A pair of fouls left her with one last chance for a four-peat, and Rojas came through like a champion with a 15.08/49-5.75 to take gold. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of Ukraine, the 2019 long jump silver medalist, led through much of the competition and earned silver at 15.00/49-2.5, with Cuba's Leyanis Perez-Hernandez taking bronze at 14.96/49-1. 
 
One legal attempt of 14.33/47-0.25 left American outdoor record holder Keturah Orji agonizingly out of the top eight in ninth, while NCAA indoor and outdoor champion Jasmine Moore had two fouls and a 13.54/44-5.25 and finished 11th. Last year's bronze medalist and the only American woman ever to medal in the event, Tori Franklin, withdrew from competition.
 
A last-chance 66.73/218-11 gave Japan's Haruka Kitaguchi the women's javelin gold as she passed Colombia's Flor Ruiz Hurtado on her final attempt. Ruiz Hurtado had led from the first round with a 65.47/214-9 national record. Australia's Mackenzie Little earned bronze at 63.38/207-11, also on her final attempt.
 
HEATS/QUALIFYING
 
Men's Decathlon - Day 1
Germany's Leo Neugebauer, the NCAA champion for Texas and the collegiate record holder, leads with 4,640 points after a stellar first day that included a 17.04/55-11 shot put that was among the best ever in a decathlon. Canadians Pierce LePage and Olympic champion Damian Warner are second and third. Kyle Garland and Harrison Williams are in eighth and ninth and only two points apart. Garland tallied 4,382 points and had a very respectable 2.08/6-9.75 in the high jump, with Williams clocking 46.52 in the 400 and finishing with 4,380. Last year's bronze medalist, Zach Ziemek, withdrew after the high jump.
 
Men's Javelin
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra of India had the best effort of a lackluster qualifying round with an 88.77/291-3 that was almost two meters better than the next farthest attempt. Two-time defending champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and 2015 champion Julius Yego of Kenya were among the notable casualties, failing to qualify for the final along with the U.S. trio of Curtis Thompson, Capers Williamson and Ethan Dabbs. Williamson was the best of the American contingent with a 76.10249-8, while USATF champion Thompson hit 74.21/243-5 and Dabbs had three fouls.
 
Women's High Jump
After requiring three attempts to go over 1.89/6-2.25, Vashti Cunningham easily sailed over 1.92/6-3.5 to earn a spot in the final. Winner of 13 U.S. titles and the 2019 bronze medalist at Doha, Cunningham was one of eight women to clear that height, including defending champion Eleanor Patterson of Australia and silver medalist Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine.
 
Men's 4x100
Running the fastest time in the world in 2023 in heat one, Team USATF had a tremendous start with 2019 100 world champion Christian Coleman handing off in first to last year's world 100 champion, Fred Kerley. Kerley exploded down the backstretch to establish a large lead before Brandon Carnes and JT Smith completed the race to win in 37.67. Italy lowered the world-leading time to 37.65 to win the second heat, but last year's champion, Canada, finished sixth and did not advance.
 
Women's 4x100
Lining up with a quartet of Tamari Davis, Twanisha Terry, Tamara Clark and Melissa Jefferson, Team USATF crossed the finish line first in 41.59. Davis was superb on the leadoff leg and Terry, a gold medalist on anchor in the event at Oregon22, continued the fine running down the backstretch. The handoff between Terry and Clark was completed very close to the end of the zone, but a safe final pass to Jefferson, also a gold medalist last year, set up a dominant win and the fastest time overall. Jamaica, anchored by four-time 100 world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, won heat one in 41.70.
 
Women's 800 semifinal
USATF champion Nia Akins was the fastest overall qualifier from the heats, and in section one she faced Britain's Keely Hodgkinson, the Olympic and World Championships silver medalist who has the world's best time in 2023 at 1:55.77. Hodgkinson went to the front through 400 in 58.36, a stride ahead of Akins, and they were similarly positioned at 600 in 1:29.12. The duo went clear down the stretch as Hodgkinson won in 1:58.48 and Akins secured her berth in the final with a 1:58.61 in second.
 
Tokyo bronze medalist Raevyn Rogers was unusually at the front of semi two with Jamaica's Natoya Goule-Toppin, passing the halfway point in just over 61 seconds. The bulk of the pack gathered up as they approached 600 and Ethiopia's Habitam Alemu was with Goule-Toppin at 1:31.42. Britain's Jemma Reekie came from fourth to first in the last 50 to win in 2:00.28 ahead of Rogers, who took second in 2:00.47 to advance.
 
Defending Olympic and world champion Athing Muwas in the final semi with 2019 champion Halimah Naakayi of Uganda and Kenya's emerging star Mary Moraa. Those three were at the fore as the pack came through 400 in 57.35, much faster than the first two semis. Mu had to recover from some trouble on the final back straight after twisting around to avoid a fallen runner, but recovered well and came through to take second in 1:58.78 behind Moraa's 1:58.48.
 
A full list of results along with a schedule of events can be found here. 
 
*records subject to usual ratification procedures
 
TEAM USATF MEDAL TOTAL (23)
 
Gold (8)
Ryan Crouser, men's shot put (23.51/77-1.75, championships record)
Mixed 4x400, Justin Robinson, Rosey Effiong, Matthew Boling, Alexis Holmes (3:08.80, world record)
Noah Lyles, men's 100 (9.83, =world lead)
Grant Holloway, men's 110H (12.96)
Sha'Carri Richardson, women's 100 (10.65, championships record)
Laulauga Tausaga-Collins, women's discus (69.48/228-0)
Katie Moon, women's pole vault (4.90/16-0.75 - shared gold)
Noah Lyles, men's 200 (19.52)
 
Silver (8)
Anna Hall, women's heptathlon (6,720 points)
Tara Davis-Woodhall, women's long jump (6.91/22-8)
Valarie Allman, women's discus (69.23/227-1)
JuVaughn Harrison, men's high jump (2.36/7-8.75)
Janee' Kassanavoid, women's hammer (76.36/250-6)
Shamier Little, women's 400H (52.80)
Gabby Thomas, women's 200 (21.81)
Erriyon Knighton, men's 200 (19.75)
 
Bronze (7)
Joe Kovacs, men's shot put (22.12/72-7)
Daniel Roberts, men's 110H (13.09)
Rai Benjamin, men's 400H (47.56)
Keni Harrison, women's 100H (12.46)
DeAnna Price, women's hammer (75.41/247-5)
Quincy Hall, men's 400 (44.37)
Sha'Carri Richrdson, women's 200 (21.92)