When Noah Lyles crossed the finish line at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich last August, he raised both arms and flexed his biceps in triumph.
The US sprinter had been forced to dig deep in the 200m Wanda Diamond League Final, coming from behind to beat Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo by just a fraction of a second with a final burst of pace on the line.
It was a performance which spoke volumes about Lyles’ season. For a man so accustomed to being out in front, the American had spent a surprising amount of 2025 racing to catch up. When it mattered most, however, Lyles delivered once again. And in doing so, he wrote a new chapter of Diamond League history.
Lyles’ dreams of another world title suffered an early setback in 2025, as his early-season was derailed by a tendon injury.
It took until July for the Olympic 100m champion to reach competition fitness. And when he lined up at the Monaco Diamond League for his season opener, Lyles knew he only had two months to prepare for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
He started with a bang, beating Tebogo with an impressive 19.88 in the 200m in Monaco – an act of revenge for his defeat in the Olympic final the year before.
Yet as Lyles repeatedly said throughout the following weeks, his focus was not on times or even on victories, but on getting into the best possible shape before Japan.
Every Diamond League meeting was an invaluable test run for the Championships, as Lyles repeatedly went up against the very best of the men’s 100m and 200m.
That also meant having to stomach a few rare defeats, especially in the 100m. Lyles was beaten by Oblique Seville in London and Lausanne and Kishane Thompson in Silesia.
Yet he took those setbacks on the chin, setting his sights firmly on the ultimate goal of the Diamond League and world titles.
“I feel great after that, I feel extremely healthy and I am feeling no pain. I wanted the win but I think it was my fastest ever 100m season opener, so I will take that result today,” he said after defeat to Seville in London.
It is a great stepping stone. I needed to see a sub 10. I needed to see winning, beating people, I took out some really big heads today,” he added after finishing second behind Thompson in Silesia with a season’s best of 9.90. “I am getting the confidence. It makes me really excited for Tokyo. The more I run, the better I am getting.” I get more excited each day and it is working.”
By the time the end of August rolled around, Lyles had just one more chance to show he was ready for the World Championships.
Having qualified on a wild card, Lyles arrived at the Wanda Diamond League Final desperate to beat Tebogo again in the 200m and lay down a marker ahead of Tokyo.
He did just that, reeling his rival in over a thrilling race at the Letzigrund and crossing the line in 19.74.
It was the sixth Diamond League title of Lyles’ career, making him the most successful track athlete in the series’ history.
“Six is a big number. I heard that is the highest number in track! That’s another record in the list and it is pretty nice to have that,” he grinned as he clutched his Diamond Trophy in Zurich.
And as he himself had predicted, it also set him up perfectly for the championships. In Tokyo, Lyles streaked to a fourth straight world title, crowning a season in which he had defied the odds to once again conquer the world.
