oah Lyles is getting even closer to making his second Olympic team.
The sprinting star ran the 100-meter in 9.92 seconds on Saturday night — the best time in the 35-man field — to advance to Sunday’s semifinal in the U.S. Olympic trials at Hayward Field. That heat starts at 8:48 p.m. ET/5:48 p.m. PT, and if he advances, he will run the final at 10:49 p.m. ET/7:49 p.m. PT.
The top three finishers will earn spots in the 2024 Paris Games.
he isn’t feeling much pressure going into Sunday’s races.
“I’m already coming in as the fastest 100-meter guy, third in the world,” he said. “It’s a lot better of a position than I was in last year, so if I pulled it off last year, I can definitely pull it off this year.”
His goal in Sunday’s semifinal and final is to run 9.7 or under. He will also run in the 200 later this week.
Lyles is seeking to become the “fastest man on Earth,” a title an American hasn’t held in 28 years and one that belongs to Jamaica’s Usain Bolt (9.58).
In August, Lyles claimed three gold medals at the world championships in Budapest by winning the 100 and 200, and anchoring the U.S. 4×100 relay.
His two individual victories at the event marked the first time anyone accomplished the double at worlds since Bolt in 2015 — and just the fifth man ever.
