Noah Lyles knew he had run one of his best 200-meter races when he finished. In Thursday night's World Athletics Championships final, he faced his only actual opponent: the clock.
On-field clock stubbornly showed Lyles' unofficial time as 19.32. In 1996, Michael Johnson ran the same time in the 200 meters at the Atlanta Olympics. It has been unassailable since then. So far.
The 25-year-old stood with his hands on his hips, staring. Hayward Field's clock in Eugene, Oregon, was talking to him as he walked over.
As he laughed with reporters later, he said, "I told it to give me some slack.". "How will it show at 19.32?" he laughed.
He crouched toward it, wondering if his efforts would pay off. After winning a disappointing bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Lyles set his sights on the record.
Despite a stellar start in Oregon, Lyles took the lead in a highly anticipated race after taking the lead in the previous race.
Following the race, Lyles appeared to be arguing with the clock. Two things happened when he finally turned away
On the clock's screen, a hundredth of a second was shaved off his time: 19.31. The magic word "Official" blared above.