FOR EVERYONE WHO assumed it was a given that world champion Noah Lyles would win gold in the Olympic 200, the final was indeed an upset. For Letsile Tebogo, who took bronze in Budapest last year, winning here demanded a supreme effort.
Coming off his 100 win in a PR 9.79, without a doubt Lyles was well-positioned for a double. Tebogo had taken 6th in that very close race in a PR 9.86.
The 200 heats fell on Monday, the morning after the 100 final. Tebogo won his in 20.10. Faster still were Americans Kenny Bednarek at 19.96 and Erriyon Knighton in 19.99. Lyles won his first round with a modest 20.19 over defending champion Andre De Grasse of Canada (20.30).
Two days later in the semis, Bednarek took the first race in 20.00 over the Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando (20.09). In the second, Tebogo came off the turn with a lead that Lyles couldn’t dent. He won in the day’s fastest time, 19.96 to Lyles’ 20.08. Semi III went to Knighton, his 20.09 just ahead of Liberian Florida alum Joe Fahnbulleh’s 20.12.
A first cut at the lane assignments for the final was released, showing that officials had not followed the preferred lanes rules, with semi winners supposed to get 6–7–8. Bednarek was given 4 while Ogando, whom he had beaten, had gotten 8.
Bednarek filed a protest, tweeting, “Never seen favoritism like this on a global scale.” A new version came out switching the two. Both versions, incidentally, had Lyles in 5, Knighton in 6, Tebogo in 7.
At last came Thursday night’s final. Organizers saved the introduction of Lyles till last. When his name was announced he put on one of his most energetic shows to date, dancing, jumping and displaying himself for the crowd before going to his blocks.
At the start, Lyles got out well, but Tebogo and Bednarek were faster. By 50 Bednarek had fought to a slight lead over the Motswana. At 100, the top 3 stayed close: Bednarek 10.10, Tebogo 10.12, Lyles 10.18, with Knighton farther back at 10.31.
We’re used to seeing the powerful finishing drive on the straight, but this time, it came from Tebogo, who hit the front with 80 to go, showing impressive power. He charged to the finish in an African Record 19.46, a world-leading mark that made him No. 5 all-time.
Lyles drew a little closer to Bednarek, but the Wisconsin native held him off to grab the silver in 19.62, with Lyles earning bronze in 19.70. Knighton ran 19.99 for 4th ahead of Ogando’s 20.02. While Tebogo and Bednarek celebrated, Lyles lay down.
Said Tebogo, who revealed that he has lost his mother this year, “I knew I had to match Kenny’s start first because he has the best start when he’s in front of you. So I had to match and execute everything that we did in training. The first time I started my training for the Olympics, we perfected the curve each and every day, without fail. I knew that if I could get that perfection today and don’t stumble from the block, I knew I could match Kenny.”
Bednarek was complimentary, “I think he had a perfect race. I’ve never seen him get out of the curve like that before. My mindset was to get out and lead the race and try to maintain that. Letsile was right there with me, and he had the better execution.
“It’s no surprise. We’ve seen what he’s been able to do before. I always knew he was capable of this, so congrats to him.”
Tebogo’s Olympic gold is Botswana’s first ever in any sport.
Lyles, who was taken off in a wheelchair, reported that he had tested positive for Covid two days before, a fact he kept quiet until after the final, though he wore a mask in the call room.
He later said, “It definitely affected my performance. I’ve had to take a lot of breaks. I was coughing through the night. I’m more proud of myself than anything, coming out here to get a bronze with Covid.”
MEN’S 200 RESULTS
FINAL (August 08; wind +0.4)
(temperature 79F/26C; humidity 39%)
1. Letsile Tebogo (Bot) 19.46 NR (WL) (5, =9 W)
(5.70, 10.12, 14.65) (10.12/9.34);
2. Kenny Bednarek (US) 19.62
(5.68, 10.10, 14.69) (10.10/9.52);
3. Noah Lyles (US) 19.70
(5.73, 10.18, 14.78) (10.18/9.52);
4. Erriyon Knighton (US) 19.99
(5.82, 10.31, 14.98) (10.31/9.68);
5. Alexander Ogando (DR) 20.02
(5.88, 10.36, 15.01) (10.36/9.66);
6. Tapiwa Makarawu (Zim) 20.10
(5.82, 10.39, 15.11) (10.39/9.71);
7. Joe Fahnbulleh (Lbr) 20.15
(5.97, 10.52, 15.21) (10.52/9.63);
8. Makanakaishe Charamba (Zim) 20.53
(6.04, 10.69, 15.51) (10.69/9.84).
(best-ever mark-for-place: 3)
(lanes: 2. Makarawu; 3. Charamba; 4. Ogando; 5. Lyles; 6. Knighton; 7. Tebogo; 8. Bednarek; 9. Fahnbulleh)
(reaction times: 0.137 Makarawu, 0.142 Ogando, 0.145 Charamba, 0.157 Knighton, 0.162 Tebogo, 0.163 Bednarek, 0.171 Fahnbulleh, 0.173 Lyles)
HEATS (August 05)
I(0.1)–1. Fahnbulleh 20.20; 2. Eseosa Desalu (Ita) 20.26; 3. Wayde van Niekerk (SA) 20.42; 4. Ryan Zeze (Fra) 20.49; 5. Felix Svensson (Swi) 20.54; 6. Cheickna Traore (CI) 20.54; 7. Calab Law (Aus) 20.75; 8. Albert Komański (Pol) 20.77.
II(-0.1)–1. Tarsis Orogot (Uga) 20.32; 2. Wanya McCoy (Bah) 20.35; 3. Renan Correa (Bra) 20.41; 4. Andrew Hudson (Jam) 20.53; 5. Udodi Onwuzurike (Ngr) 20.55; 6. Cesar Almiron (Par) 20.87; 7. Tomáš Němejc (CzR) 21.03.
III(-0.1)–1. Tebogo 20.10; 2. Charamba 20.27; 3. Filippo Tortu (Ita) 20.29; 4. Brendon Rodney (Can) 20.30; 5. Timothé Mumenthaler (Swi) 20.63; 6. Koki Ueyama (Jpn) 20.84; 7. Benji Richardson (SA) 51.86.
IV(0.2)–1. Bednarek 19.96; 2. Ogando 20.04; 3. Joshua Hartmann (Ger) 20.30; 4. Diego Aldo Pettorossi (Ita) 20.63; 5. Shota Iizuka (Jpn) 20.67; 6. Ondřej Macík (CzR) 21.04.
V(0.2)–1. Knighton 19.99; 2. Makarawu 20.07; 3. Shaun Maswanganyi (SA) 20.20; 4. Aaron Brown (Can) 20.36; 5. Ian Kerr (Bah) 20.53; 6. Pablo Mateo (Fra) 20.58; 7. Erik Erlandsson (Swe) 20.65; 8. Eduard Kubelík (CzR) 21.14.
VI(0.1)–1. Lyles 20.19; 2. Andre De Grasse (Can) 20.30; 3. Towa Uzawa (Jpn) 20.33; 4. Bryan Levell (Jam) 20.47; 5. Blessing Afrifa (Isr) 20.78; 6. Chun-Han Yang (Tai) 20.83; 7. William Reais (Swi) 20.92.
REPECHAGE (August 06)
I(1.0)–1. Onwuzurike 20.51; 2. Pettorossi 20.53; 3. Mumenthaler 20.67; 4. Iizuka 20.72; 5. Macík 21.14;… dnc—Traore.
II(0.6)–1. Rodney 20.42; 2. Levell 20.47; 3. Mateo 20.57; 4. Ueyama 20.92;… dnc—Law;… dq—Almiron.
III(0.0)–1. Zeze 20.40; 2. Brown 20.42; 3. Yang 20.73; 4. Afrifa 20.88; 5. Komański 20.90; 6. Kubelík 21.20;… dnc—Reais.
IV(0.3)–1. Erlandsson 20.49 PR; 2. Hudson 20.55; 3. Kerr 20.60; 4. Svensson 20.65; 5. Němejc 20.84;… dnc—Richardson.
SEMIS (August 07)
I(-0.1)–1. Bednarek 20.00; 2. Ogando 20.09; 3. De Grasse 20.41; 4. Maswanganyi 20.42; 5. McCoy 20.61; 6. Orogot 20.64; 7. Zeze 20.81; 8. Levell 20.93.
II(-0.2)–1. Tebogo 19.96; 2. Lyles 20.08; 3. Charamba 20.31; 4. Desalu 20.37; 5. Hartmann 20.47; 6. Uzawa 20.54; 7. Brown 20.57; 8. Erlandsson 20.93.
III(-0.6)–1. Knighton 20.09; 2. Fahnbulleh 20.12; 3. Makarawu 20.16; 4. Tortu 20.54; 5. Rodney 20.59; 6. Correa 20.60; 7. van Niekerk 20.72; 7. Onwuzurike 20.72.
