World Championships in Athletics
Before 100m final: Verbal duel between Lyles and Kerley
US sprinter Fred Kerley wants to defend his title in the 100 meters. photo
© Marcus Brandt/dpa
The final over 100 meters crowns Sunday at the World Championships in Athletics. Two US stars have already exchanged blows.
For the first show, two US sprint stars have already before the 100-meter final (7.10 p.m. / ARD / Eurosport) at the Athletics World Championships in Budapest.
Defending champion Fred Kerley and Noah Lyles – one of his potential challengers – made their ambitions clear in a small dialogue. At least there were still teammates sitting between them, so they didn’t look straight into each other’s eyes like two boxers at a weigh-in.
“I’m Fred Kerley, that’s my title,” said the 28-year-old, who won the title at last year’s home World Championships in Eugene. Lyles, who is a major contender for the title in the 200m, had previously announced on social media that he wanted to run 19.10 seconds there and 9.65 seconds in the 100m.
“If Noah runs 9.65, I’ll run faster,” Kerley said succinctly. Then Lyles intervened from the other end of the podium during the presentation of the US team. “They all say that until they are beaten,” countered the 26-year-old, who belongs to the same training group as Gina Lückenkemper in the USA.
Should he achieve his time goal over 200 meters, he would break Usain Bolt’s world record, 9.65 seconds is not enough for the 100 meters. In Saturday’s heats he was second fastest in 9.95 seconds behind Jamaican Oblique Seville (9.86), Kerley ran 9.99 seconds.
Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs from Italy is not one of the favorites in Budapest after a difficult season from his own point of view, he only made it through with difficulty in 10.15 seconds on Saturday. “Nobody’s afraid of him,” Kerley stated.