EUGENE, Ore. – Noah Lyles is getting closer to making his second Olympic team.
The track star ran the 100 meters in 9.92 seconds on Saturday night – the best time in the 35-man field – to advance to Sunday’s semifinal at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field. This heat begins at 8:48 pm ET/5:48 pm PT, and if he advances, he will compete in the final at 10:49 pm ET/7:49 pm PT.
The top three finishers will win places at the 2024 Paris Games.
Lyles said he has a better idea of what to expect in trials with an Olympics behind him. And after the first round, he doesn’t feel much pressure heading into Sunday’s races.
“I’m already arriving as the fastest guy in the 100 meters, third in the world,” he said. “It’s a much better position than I was in last year, so if I could do it last year, I can definitely do it this year.”
His goal in Sunday’s semifinal and final is to run 9.7 or less. He will also run in the 200 meters later this week.
Lyles seeks to become the “fastest man on the planet”, a title that an American has not won in 28 years and that belongs to Jamaican Usain Bolt (9.58).
In August, Lyles won three gold medals at the world championships in Budapest by winning the 100 and 200 meters and anchoring the U.S. 4×100 relay.
His two individual victories in the event marked the first time anyone has achieved the Worlds double since Bolt in 2015 – and only the fifth man ever.
Lyles did not qualify for the 100 meters in 2020, finishing seventh out of eight runners in the Olympic Trials final. He did win the bronze medal in the 200 meters, however.
Four years later, he says the sadness he felt about failing fueled his run in 2024.
“It’s amazing to finally be here,” Lyles said. “In Tokyo, I felt like I wasted a great opportunity. The more I look back, the more I think, ‘Wow, if that moment had never happened, I would never have produced what I’ve done so far.’ I don’t think there would be as much momentum in me as there has been in the last two years.”
Lyles said the experience also forced him to ask himself how he can do better.
“Every year has been a huge improvement to where I’m at as a world champion and American record holder,” he said. “I didn’t have any of those titles last time, so it’s a huge confidence booster.”
Coverage of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials for the 2024 Paris Games will continue live on Sunday on NBC, Peacock and USA.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
