Lyles Out of 100m at US Trials

Reigning world and Olympic champion Noah Lyles has withdrawn from the 100m semi-finals at the U.S. Track and Field Championships, despite winning his initial heat.

Lyles, who won the 100m gold at the Paris Olympics last year, ran a qualifying time of 10.05 seconds on Thursday.

However, due to his status as the defending world champion in both the 100m and 200m, he is already guaranteed a spot on the U.S. team for the World Championships in Tokyo this September.

The 28-year-old athlete explained that he decided to run in the preliminary round to get more race experience. “I need races—everybody knows I started the season late due to injury,” Lyles said.

He also confirmed that he still plans to compete in all rounds of the 200m event in Eugene.