Olympics: World champs Lyles and Kerley face 200m New York showdown

AFP , Friday 12 May 2023

Reigning world 200m champion Noah Lyles and world 100m champion Fred Kerley will race at 200 meters in next month's New York Grand Prix, meet organizers announced Friday.

Fred Kerley
USA s Fred Kerley celebrates winning the men s 200m final during the IAAF Diamond League competition on May 5, 2023 at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha. Photo: AFP

 

The June 24 showdown will serve as a tuneup for both American sprinters ahead of July's US championships and the World Championships in August at Budapest.

Lyles won world 200m crowns in 2019 at Doha and last year at Eugene, Oregon, and took a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Lyles, 25, set an American record of 19.31 seconds at last year's worlds, moving to third on the all-time list.

Last week, Lyles won the 150m in 14.56 in Atlanta, the third-fastest time ever clocked at the distance.

Kerley, 28, took a 100m silver medal at Tokyo behind Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy and a 2019 third-place worlds finish at 400m before claiming a 100m world crown last year on home soil.

His 200m triumphs this year include at Melbourne in 20.32 seconds and at Doha in a Diamond League start at 19.92.

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