Noah Lyles Makes It Six In A Row With Thrilling 200m Win In Diamond League Final

Noah Lyles laid down a hefty marker for adjacent month’s World Athletics Championships by winning a thrilling 200m rematch against Letsile Tebogo of Botswana successful nan Diamond League last successful Zurich.

Tebogo sprung a awesome astonishment astatine past year’s Olympics by beating Lyles, who it later turned retired had Covid. And it looked for illustration a repetition was connected nan cards arsenic Tebogo led from nan gun.

But successful nan last strides nan American yet sewage his vest successful beforehand to return triumph – and nan $30,000 (£22,000) prize – successful 19.74sec, pinch Tebogo 0.02sec backmost successful second. It was a much-needed assurance booster for Lyles aft 2 caller defeats successful nan 100m, arsenic he took his sixth Diamond League last win.

“Six successful a row, nan astir successful track!” said Lyles. “It is beautiful bully to person that. I saw Letsile thin connected nan decorativeness statement but I knew I won. I knew if I panicked I was not going to win. If you are tight you are done for.”

Elsewhere it was a bully nighttime for British athletes arsenic Max Burgin astir took down nan men’s Olympic 800m champion and Georgia Hunter Bell ran a individual champion successful nan women’s 800m.

Burgin has agelong been compared to Sebastian Coe, but a bid of injuries has near nan 23-year-old incapable to fulfil his potential. But he will summation immense assurance slugging it retired pinch Emmanuel Wanyonyi earlier finishing successful 1min 42.42sec, his 2nd quickest time.

“Today was a spot of a world championships field, for illustration a test,” said Burgin, who was conscionable 0.05sec down Wanyonyi successful second. “I americium dreaming of being astatine nan nonstop aforesaid position astatine nan worlds.”

Georgia Hunter Bell was edged connected nan statement by Switzerland’s Audrey Werro successful nan 800m. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

Hunter Bell was conscionable arsenic awesome arsenic she weaved her measurement from 5th to 2nd successful nan last 200m to decorativeness successful 1:55.96 – a career-best clip by half a 2nd and nan 3rd fastest clip successful British history down her training partner Keely Hodgkinson and Jemma Reekie.

However nan Briton, who has opted to tally nan 800m alternatively than nan 1500m successful Tokyo, was incapable to get past nan young Swiss prima Audrey Werro, who delighted nan location fans to triumph successful 1:55.91.