Noah Lyles Matches Usain Bolt with Fourth Consecutive 200m World Championship Title

Noah Lyles has etched his name alongside sprint legend Usain Bolt, claiming his fourth consecutive gold medal in the men’s 200m at the World Athletics Championships. At the final held on September 19, 2025, at Tokyo's National Stadium, Lyles crossed the finish line first with a time of 19.52 seconds, clinching the gold. This victory secures his dominance in the event following previous wins in Doha (2019), Eugene (2022), and Budapest (2023), matching Bolt’s record for the most consecutive golds in the 200m, set from Berlin 2009 through Beijing 2015.

Kenneth Bednarek finished second in 19.58, and Bryan Levell took third with 19.64. Defending Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo narrowly missed the podium, placing fourth in 19.65.

Lyles, who was in third place at the 100m mark, surged ahead in the latter half to claim victory. Raising four fingers after crossing the line, he celebrated his achievement of four straight world titles. Earlier, Lyles had settled for bronze in the 100m final with a time of 9.89 seconds, but he maintained his supremacy in his signature 200m event.

In the women’s 200m, Melissa Jefferson delivered a dominant performance, winning with a time of 21.68 seconds. Having already triumphed in the women’s 100m, Jefferson became the first woman in 12 years to secure both 100m and 200m titles at a single World Championships, following in the footsteps of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who achieved the feat at the 2013 Moscow Games. Amy Hunt claimed silver in 22.14, and Shericka Jackson took bronze with 22.18.

The men’s 400m hurdles final saw American Rai Benjamin win gold with a time of 46.52 seconds, shaking off his long-held “perennial runner-up” label and capturing his first individual gold at the World Championships. Benjamin, who also won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics in 46.46, bested a highly competitive field that included world record holder Karsten Warholm, Brazil’s Alison dos Santos, and Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba. Santos finished second in 46.84, with Samba third in 47.06. Warholm, who had led early, faded to fifth place in 47.58.

In the women’s 400m hurdles, the Netherlands’ Femke Bol clinched back-to-back titles with a 51.54 finish. Jasmine Jones took silver in 52.08, and Slovakia’s Emma Zapletalova won bronze in 53.00. Dalilah Muhammad, who is retiring after this championship, finished seventh in 54.82.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Yonhap News Agency