Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo posted the fastest time in the men’s Olympic 200 meters semi-finals, signaling his intent to challenge American Noah Lyles’ bid for a sprint double.
Tebogo, the reigning world bronze medalist, surged past the American 100 meters champion on the bend and finished strong in 19.96 seconds. Lyles, who worked hard to secure second place, clocked 20.08 seconds.
In the other semi-finals, Americans Kenny Bednarek, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist, and Erriyon Knighton each secured their spots in the final. Bednarek ran 20.00 seconds, while the 20-year-old Knighton finished in 20.09 seconds.
Also advancing to the final are Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic, Joseph Fahnbulleh of Liberia, and Zimbabwe’s Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba.
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Lyles, the three-time reigning world champion in the 200 meters, has not lost over this distance since winning bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
His run on Wednesday, however, was reminiscent of his sluggish 100m semi-final after which he reached out to his therapist for guidance. He came out two hours later and electrified the crowd by winning the most competitive men’s 100m in Olympic history.
Lyles is looking to become the first American in four decades to win the Olympic sprint double. He is aiming for potentially four golds in Paris, in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and — if he is selected in the squad — the 4x400m relay.
Canada’s defending champion Andre de Grasse, the last man to beat Lyles in a competitive race over the distance, did not advance to the final.