Noah Lyles is the fastest man in the world this year after an amazing finish in the 100m race.
Noah Lyles just ran the fastest legal 100-meter time of 2026 and might be getting closer to Usain Bolt’s legendary record without even meaning to. The American star, who took gold in the 100m at Paris 2024, matched his personal best with an amazing 9.79 seconds at the USATF National Championships.
The race featured some of the top US sprinters, including Kenny Bednarek and Christian Coleman. Lyles had a steady start and was a bit behind at first, but he quickly caught up by the halfway point and finished the race 0.08 seconds ahead of Ronnie Baker. His time was first recorded as 9.78 seconds but was officially rounded up to 9.79. Interestingly, both Baker and Bednarek finished with 9.88 seconds, which are the fifth-fastest times this year.
You can check out his run below!
With this run, Lyles is now officially the fastest sprinter in the world this year, beating Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, who ran 9.82 seconds in June. Olympic champ Lamont Marcell Jacobs recently ran an incredible 9.67 seconds at the Raiffeisen Austrian Open, but the wind was too strong, so it doesn’t count as a legal record. Usain Bolt’s world record of 9.58 seconds from 2009 still stands unbeaten.
READ MORE: Marcell Jacobs is the second-fastest man ever after incredible 100m run
What’s even more exciting is that Lyles thinks he can get even faster. He believes his start could improve, shaving off a few more hundredths of a second. “I think I made the world’s fastest man statement,” he told reporters. “Last Thursday, during practice, I hand-timed a 9.6, so I knew a 9.7 was coming soon.”
While Lyles is clearly leading now, he’ll face some strong competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. After Seville’s 9.82, there’s 21-year-old Nigerian sprinter Kayinsola Ajayi at 9.84, and Colombia’s Ronal Longa, who just turned 22, ran 9.85. Five others, including 20-year-old South African Bayanda Walaza and 21-year-old Botswana’s Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, all share a time of 9.89.
Here’s a quick look at the fastest legal 100m times this year (with wind speeds):
1) Noah Lyles (USA) – 9.79 (+0.8)
2) Oblique Seville (Jamaica) – 9.82 (+0.6)
3) Kayinsola Ajayi (Nigeria) – 9.84 (+0.7)
4) Ronal Longa (Colombia) – 9.85 (+1.5)
5) Ronnie Baker (USA) – 9.88 (+0.8)
5) Kenneth Bednarek (USA) – 9.88 (+0.8)
It’s an exciting time for sprinting fans, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for Noah Lyles!