Noah Lyles to make 100m season debut at London Diamond League

LONDON: Olympic champion Noah Lyles reignites competition with Letsile Tebogo over 100m at Saturday’s Diamond League meet in London, a week after the American marked his return to action with victory in the 200m over the Botswanan in Monaco.

Lyles runs his first 100m of 2025, headlining an afternoon featuring the cream of track and field athletes, winners of 75 medals between them from the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and the 2024 Paris Olympics, across both individual and relay disciplines.

A sell-out crowd of 60,000 is expected at the London Stadium, home to Premier League club West Ham and the venue for a memorable athletics programme at the 2012 London Olympics.

Tebogo admitted in Monaco that Lyles was the crowd pleaser and that when his face appears on posters, people want to come and see him.

The Botswanan, who won the 200m gold at last year’s Paris Olympics as Lyles came third, was edged out in Monaco by the American, who clocked an impressive 19.88sec in his return to the track from a tendon injury.

Lyles said it had been tough watching early-season competition from home, but his comeback was timely with the World Championships in Tokyo on the horizon in September.

“I have a bye for the US Trials, which makes it less stressful because it gives us the time to work on the races,” Lyles said. “It gives us time to see what works and what doesn’t and to be able to make moves from there.”

The home nation will be represented by Louie Hinchliffe, world indoor champion Jeremiah Azu and world 100m bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes.

The Jamaican duo of Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake, and South African Akani Simbine fill out the field in what should be a top-notch race. Agencies

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