Ahead of this summer, Noah Lyles was already won of the few athletes to have won the Diamond Trophy in two separate disciplines. As of Sunday, the US sprint star can also boast of World Athletics Championships gold in the 200m and the 100m.
200m champion in Eugene last year, Lyles won the 100m by a nose with a world-leading 9.83 in Budapest on Sunday to claim the second world title of his career and dethrone compatriot and former champion Fred Kerley. It was the first major title Lyles had won over 100m since he was crowned Diamond League champion in the shorter distance back in 2019.
With the 100m title in the bag, Lyles heads into Wednesday's 200m heats as reigning champion, and will be out to make it two golds in two in Friday's final. If he did so, he would emulate his Diamond League heroics from 2019, when he won both the 100m and 200m titles in the space of a week.
Lyles currently has five Diamond Trophies, and is closing in on the record of seven held by French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie and US triple jumper Christian Taylor. He still has some work to do in qualification, however, having picked up just one win in each discipline on the circuit so far.
There are plenty more chances to earn points when the Diamond League returns after the World Championships, with three more series meetings in Zurich, Xiamen and Brussels before the Final in Eugene on September 16-17th.
Lyles was not the only Diamond League legend who delivered on a dramatic opening weekend in Budapest.
Four-time Wanda Diamond League champion Ivana Vuleta also grabbed gold in the women's long jump, claiming her first outdoor world title with a world lead of 7.14m.
2021 Wanda Diamond League shot put champion Ryan Crouser, meanwhile, threw a championship record of 23.51m on Saturday to defend his title. The mark, which fell just six centimetres short of Crouser's own world record, is an ominous indicator of form as the American looks to regain his Diamond Trophy on home soil later this year.
