Noah Lyles produced a trademark late surge to defeat Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo in the men’s 200m at the Diamond League Final in Zurich on Thursday night. The American, who has been at the top of global sprinting for half a decade, powered through the final metres to edge the Botswana star in a dramatic finish that had the stadium on its feet.
Tebogo, who denied Lyles Olympic gold in Paris last year, looked set to repeat the script after leading off the bend. But Lyles summoned his unmatched closing speed, storming past his rival on the line to claim the crown in 19.74 seconds. Tebogo was forced to settle for second in a season’s best 19.76, underlining once more why their rivalry is one of the most compelling in athletics.
Full Results Men’s 200m
- Noah Lyles (USA) – 19.74 (0.173 reaction)
- Letsile Tebogo (BOT) – 19.76 (=SB, 0.154 reaction)
- Alexander Ogando (DOM) – 20.14
- Robert Gregory (USA) – 20.20
- Reynier Mena (CUB) – 20.26
- Kyree King (USA) – 20.43
- Joseph Fahnbulleh (LBR) – 20.46
- Udodi Chudi Onwuzuriike (NGR) – 20.54
The victory adds another dramatic chapter to the Lyles–Tebogo rivalry. At the 2023 World Championships, Lyles claimed a sprint double in the 100m and 200m as Tebogo chased silver and bronze.
A year later in Paris, Lyles struck again in the 100m but Tebogo had his revenge in the 200m, storming to Olympic glory. Zurich, however, swung the pendulum back to the American, whose closing speed once again proved decisive.
With this win, Noah Lyles etched his name deeper into athletics history by securing his sixth Diamond League title, the most ever by a track athlete. His tally now spans: Brussels 2017 (200m), Zurich 2018 (100m & 200m), Brussels 2019 (200m), Zurich 2022 (200m), and Zurich 2025 (200m).
Zurich underlined once again why the Lyles–Tebogo duel is the defining rivalry of this sprinting era, two men trading supremacy, each capable of beating the other, and neither backing down.
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