Noah Lyles won the 60-meter showdown with Christian Coleman by a hundredth of a second at the U.S. Track and Field Indoor Championships in the latest chapter of their rivalry.
Coleman, the 60m world record holder, got off to an exemplary start as usual. But Lyles, the 100-meter and 200-meter world champion, reeled him in and passed Coleman at the Albuquerque finish line.
Lyles ran a personal best time of 6.43 seconds to earn his first win in the 60m final against Coleman in his fourth career meet. Coleman's 2018 world record is 6.34.
“If I hadn't played against Christian so many times, I wouldn't have been able to build up my confidence enough to say, 'I'm ready to come out here and fight everybody,'” said Coleman, who stood next to Coleman. Lyles told Lewis Johnson. on NBC Sports. “So I'm really grateful to this guy, because that's the kind of person he is.”
USATF Indoor: complete results
Lyles started 2024 with a 60m personal best of 6.51, which is a weaker distance for him than the 100m or 200m.
If Lyles shortens his personal record by eight-hundredths this indoor season, he could improve his 200m personal best (US record 19.31 seconds) to 19.10 seconds this summer, which would be Usain Bolt's world record. He said there is a chance he could break the time of 19.19 seconds.
“For eight years, I've been striving for starts, acceleration, and first 60 seconds.” He said this on USATF's “Cool Down” show.. “If they can't beat me here (60 meters), they won't be able to beat me anywhere.”
Both Lyles and Coleman have qualified for the World Indoor Championships, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in two weeks. Coleman won the 2018 world indoor 60m title. Lyles goes into the indoor world for the first time.
This summer, Lyles and Coleman each hope to become the first American men to win the Olympic 100 meters since 2004. First, the two must rank in the top three at the selection event in June and be selected to represent the United States.
Coleman won the 2019 world 100m title and was the fastest man in the world during the Tokyo Olympic cycle, but was suspended for failing a drug test and missed the Olympics. He has never failed a test.
Last August, Lyles became the first athlete to win the 100m and 200m at the world championships since Usain Bolt in 2015, while Coleman finished fifth in the 100m.
And in September, Coleman won two races in 9.83 seconds, the same time Lyles ran to win the world title. Coleman, Lyles and Britt Zarnell-Hughes finished 2023 tied for the best 100m time of the year.
Other notable winners on Saturday's USATF indoor final day: Olympic gold medalists Ryan Crozer (shot put) and Katie Moon (pole vault), American mile record holder Nikki Hiltz (1500 meters), Tokyo Olympic selection candidate event champion Cole Hocker (1500m) and American record holder Aleia Hobbs (60m).
