Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the men’s 100-meter at the 2018 USATF Outdoor Championships on June 22, 2018 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Noah Lyles remains unstoppable at 200 meters in Diamond League competition this season, and he got even faster on Friday in Monaco.
The 21-year-old Youth Olympian beat his own world-leading mark and set a new meet record and personal best with a time of 19.65 seconds to claim his fourth Diamond League win of the season. His previous best was 19.69 seconds, which he ran twice this year.
Earlier this summer Lyles became the youngest U.S. 100-meter champion in 34 years when he won not only that event at the USATF Outdoor Championships. He is the reigning Diamond League champ at 200 meters.
Another American who’s dominated the Diamond League scene this year, two-time Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor, also added another win to his resume.
Taylor’s best jump of 17.86 meters beat rival Pedro Pablo Pichardo, a Cuba-born athlete competing for Portugal, whose best on Friday was 17.67 meters. A trio of Americans followed, with Omar Craddock, Chris Benard and Donald Scott taking the next three places.
Shakima Wimbley placed third in the women’s 400-meter as Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas ran the fastest time in the world this season and set a new Diamond League record with a time of 48.97 seconds. Wimbley finished in 50.85 seconds.
Americans also had a banner day in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Olympian and 2017 world silver medalist Courtney Frerichs was second in the women’s event with a personal best time of 9:00.85. Two-time Olympian, 2016 bronze medalist and defending world champion Emma Coburn finished fourth.
Two-time Olympian and 2016 silver medalist Evan Jager ran a season’s best 8:01.02 in the men’s steeplechase to finish in second. Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali won with a blazing new world-leading time of 7:58.15, and they both beat reigning world and Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya, who finished third in 8:09.78.
The Diamond League schedule continues with a two-day meet in London this weekend.
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
