By Mitch Phillips
TOKYO (Reuters) -Noah Lyles says he is not sure to run in next year’s inaugural Ultimate Championship in a potentially huge blow to World Athletics’ new event that is supposed to showcase the best of the best over three days in Budapest.
Fresh from securing his fourth successive world 200 metres title, the 28-year-old Lyles said a September return to Budapest, where he did the world championships sprint double in 2023, is far from guaranteed.
“Me and World Athletics are still in talks on whether I’ll even go to Ultimate Championship,” he told Reuters in an interview at his Adidas Tokyo HQ on Saturday.
“They’ve claimed that they want to get athletes more involved. We plan to have more talks in the future about that and what that could mean.”
The Ultimate Championship has been introduced by the sport’s governing body to fill the “void” in a non-global championship year, with two editions of the world championships and the Olympics filling three of every four.
It will have a prize fund of $10 million, with winners receiving $150,000 – by far the biggest prize available in the sport.
It will take place from September 11-13, with no heats, just a high-octane succession of track and field finals featuring the world and Olympic champions and Diamond League winners.
However, the absence of the biggest name in the sport would be a huge setback. World Athletics has been asked to comment.
Lyles was calm and relaxed on Saturday, his hair in neat braids in a far cry from the start line of the 200m where, with his hair bleached and wild, he let out a huge, guttural roar with his arms raised as his name was read out.
“It’s a battle cry. It’s a moment where you go from having all the pieces to go beyond your limits,” he explained.
“You have the crowd, you have the world championships, you have the racers and now you have the moment. It’s powering up, it’s knowing that you’re about to push your body to the absolute point of no return.”
LYLES RUNS SUPERB RACE TO OVERHAUL BEDNAREK
It certainly did the trick as Lyles ran a superb race to overhaul compatriot Kenny Bednarek to win in 19.52 seconds.
It was agony for Bednarek, who settled for a fourth global silver, but the 26-year-old – like Justin Gatlin when operating in the shadow of Usain Bolt – will almost certainly have to clear Lyles from his mind if he is ever going to beat him.
Lyles, asked if his “aura” was affecting the way some rivals are running, perhaps dipping too early aware that he always finishes so strongly, said: “I’m sure it gets to some.
“But the funniest thing is that I’m actually a great starter in the 200 metres. I was looking at the data yesterday and I ran 10.11 on my first 100. That’s the fastest bend I’ve ever had, even faster than when I broke the American record.
“So it’s not that I’m not running fast bends, it’s that others’ strategy has been ‘I have to beat him off the bend or I’ll have no chance on the straight’. “And knowing they have that strategy is what gives me peace of mind to say, ‘okay, you’re not going to be able to last’.”
Lyles is set to run in Sunday’s 4x100m relay final, should his teammates get through Saturday’s heats, when he will hope to add to his medal haul having also taken bronze in the 100m.
Regardless of his 2026 plans, he has a mouth-watering time ahead with the 2027 world championships in Beijing and then a home Olympics at Los Angeles 2028.
“Beijing, yeah, five in a row. I could be the first in the 200 to ever do that. That would be pretty amazing,” said Lyles, whose four on the trot matched Bolt’s record in the 200m.
“And then preparing for LA, I think some really cool things are on the horizon.”
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ken Ferris)
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