Sprinter Noah Lyles is already looking ahead to a monumental 2026 season following a disappointing year in which he was overlooked for major national and international athletics awards.
Despite an outstanding 2025 campaign—clinching his fourth consecutive 200m World Championship title in Tokyo, winning the Diamond League 200m undefeated, and posting world-leading times—Lyles was passed over for both the World Athletics Male Track Athlete of the Year and the USATF Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year, which went to Emmanuel Wanyonyi and hurdler Rai Benjamin, respectively.
Lyles, the reigning Olympic 100m and world 200m champion, plans to begin his 2026 season at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on January 24, competing in the 60m dash. He holds the meet record of 6.44 seconds from 2024. Looking further ahead, he is targeting a record-breaking fifth consecutive 200m World Championship title in 2027, which would surpass Usain Bolt’s streak of four straight wins.
“Keep your head up and your eyes open,” Lyles told WWD, signaling his determination. “I think 2026 will be very big.”
With ambitions extending to the 2028 Olympics on home soil, Lyles remains focused on adding to his legacy and cementing his place among the sport’s greats, despite missing out on individual accolades this year.
