‘Stunned’ Noah Lyles, who made a bold statement about 200m, left in shock after finishing second in semifinals to Letsile Tebogo

Noah Lyles fell to Letsile Tebogo of Botswana in the semifinal round of the 200m race at the Paris Olympics.

‘Stunned’ Noah Lyles, who made a bold statement about 200m, left in shock after finishing second in semifinals to Letsile Tebogo

Letsile Tebogo and Noah Lyles (via SportsRation & AP)

Noah Lyles UPSET ALERT! The Pride of America recently won the gold in the men’s 100-meter race and has since been on Cloud nine. He was expected to carry this momentum into the men’s 200-meter race. But he did not consider a hump named Letsile Tebogo that slowed him down and beat him to the finish in the semifinal round of the 200m event.

Despite his loss to Letsile Tebogo, Noah Lyles will get an opportunity to redeem himself at the 200m finals. The Botswanian finished the race in a timeframe of 19.96 seconds. He beat Lyles by 0.12 seconds and made history as this marks the first time that the American lost in the 200M since his third-place finish in the Tokyo Olympics.

YouTube video

The loss was shocking as Noah Lyles was confident about winning the 200m event. He has been vocal about his confidence and optimism heading into the 200m race, while the upset in the semifinal round does not disqualify him from competing for a gold medal in the finals, the round that matters. However, it has to have been humbling and impacted his morale after his photo finish in the 100m.

FS Video
RELATED
“That’s kind of crazy…” Draymond Green subtly disses rival Rudy Gobert getting removed from France line-up at Paris Olympics
Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert

Noah Lyles’ loss in the 200m semifinal will impact his positioning in the finals

The loss will result in the American having to run in the finals from an unideal lane. But if history has shown fans one thing, it is that Lyles’ performance in the heat and semifinal rounds did not have any impact on his showing in the final. In the 100m race, he lost the opening heat and the semifinal round but managed to win by a .005 second margin against Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson.

Noah Lyles
Noah Lyles (via FORBES)

Oblique Seville bested Lyles in the semis and taunted him with a stare as he ran to the finish in the 100M. From a strategic perspective, Noah Lyles could have opted to tap into 90% of his potential for this round so that he does not exhaust himself. Ultimately, it is the final showdown that matters and one’s placing in the semifinal, will not entitle an athlete to any medals

The final is scheduled to take place on Thursday. One thing is clear and that is a new champion will be crowned after the defending champ Andre De Grasse failed to qualify for the finals. Letsile Tebogo will look to carry this momentum on to the finals as he was the only person to finish before 20 seconds in the semis. As Lyles is in pursuit of Usain Bolt’s achievement of winning both, the 100m and 200m gold medals, he will show up motivated at the finals. Apart from him, Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton of the USA have also qualified for the finals after finishing with a time of 20.00 and 20.09 respectively.

In case you missed: