With six World Championship titles and the coveted Olympic 100m crown to his name, you’d think Noah Lyles might take a moment to coast. But that’s not his style.
As the 2025 World Championships inch closer, the American sprint star is reaching into the past to shape his future.
A Throwback Strategy with a Purpose
If you’ve been keeping tabs on Lyles this season, you might have noticed a subtle but deliberate shift in his approach. Track and field analyst RoriDunk highlighted it perfectly in a recent X thread.
“Noah Lyles is being far more selective about his races. By this point last year, he had already competed in 13 events. This year? Just six, including his indoor appearances.”
It’s not by accident. Lyles is dusting off his 2019 playbook, a season where a late-scheduled World Championships forced him to recalibrate his build-up. Back then, with Doha’s October showdown on the horizon, he opted for fewer races, focusing on sharpening his form rather than chasing records in every meet. The result, Double gold in the 200m and 4x100m relay.
“In 2019, Lyles only participated in five races until that point, which proved to be advantageous for him as he ended the season with a gold medal in the 200m,” RoriDunk pointed out.
Fast-forward to 2025, and the World Championships are again scheduled unusually late, this time for September. Lyles is banking on the same “less is more” approach to keep him fresh, explosive, and peaking right when it matters most.
What’s at Stake for Lyles in 2025?
This time, however, the stakes are even higher. Lyles isn’t just defending one title, he’s chasing a treble: the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay crowns. And let’s not forget, he’s coming off a breathtaking performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he captured the 100m title in 9.784 seconds, edging out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by a razor-thin 0.005 seconds. It was a victory that didn’t just win him gold, it put an even bigger target on his back.
As RoriDunk aptly noted, “Being the Olympic champion in the 100m puts an even bigger target on his back and offers even more motivation to be ready to compete.”
For Lyles, the mission isn’t just about adding more hardware to his already loaded trophy case. It’s about legacy. Another dominant display in 2025 could further cement his place among the all-time greats of track and field.
Will It Work Again?
History has a way of favoring those who learn from it. Noah Lyles’ 2019 strategy proved that quality over quantity can be the key to unlocking greatness when timed right. In a sport where fine margins separate champions from also-rans, managing physical and mental freshness is just as crucial as raw speed.
By racing less, focusing on key meets, and avoiding the wear-and-tear of a packed schedule, Lyles is placing a calculated bet that he can replicate, or even surpass, the success of six years ago. And given his proven ability to rise to the occasion, who would bet against him?
The Verdict
Come September, the eyes of the athletics world will be firmly fixed on Noah Lyles. Whether he can channel that 2019 magic and pull off another historic triumph remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: he’s setting himself up for a moment that could define his career.
Picture it now, Lyles crossing the finish line, arms outstretched, signature grin lighting up the stadium, as another golden chapter gets etched into the sprinting history books. If his strategy worked then, there’s every reason to believe it can deliver once more in 2025.
