By Lori Ewing
BUDAPEST (Reuters) -American Noah Lyles stormed to his third consecutive world 200 metres title on Friday and became the first man to win the sprint double since Jamaican great Usain Bolt in 2015.
Five days after capturing his first world title in the 100m, the 26-year-old Lyles came off the corner as if catapulted from a slingshot, and pulled away down the straight to win in 19.52 seconds, just shy of his world-leading time of 19.47.
U.S. team mate Erriyon Knighton, the 19-year-old who won bronze last year, upgraded to silver in 19.75, while Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, second in the 100m, took bronze in 19.81.
Lyles, nails manicured with gold stars, served notice of big things a night earlier when he led the semi-finals field by two tenths of a second despite a freak golf cart accident on his way to the stadium that delayed his semi-final heat by 30 minutes.
Jamaican Andrew Hudson had medical treatment for glass in his eye from the crash and was given a lane in the final despite finishing fifth in his semi. Hudson finished eighth out of nine.
Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, bronze medallist in the 100m, was fourth, while American Kenny Bednarek came fifth.
Olympic champion Andre De Grasse of Canada, who has been dealing with a nagging foot injury this season, was sixth.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
