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Noah Lyles could be set to make history at Paris 2024 if he can replicate the dominance he showed at the World Championships last year.

Lyles truly announced himself on the global stage in 2023 by winning gold in the 100m and 200m events. There is now a genuine belief that he could be this generations Usain Bolt a sprinter who could dominate the short distance events for a long time and break many records in the process.

Bolt was the first man in over 50 years to secure double success in the 100m and 200m events at the Olympic Games, and Lyles will be targeting that same feat this summer. The American could already join the greats of Olympic sprinting if he meets the expectations placed on him in Paris.

Lyles is a huge favourite for the 200m event

Lyles strongest event has always been the 200m and he already holds a world lead. His best time is 19.31.

Therefore, it is no surprise that in the latest betting odds from Paddy Power, he is a massive favourite to secure Olympic gold at odds of 4/9. The site has a betting calculator to help fans better understand the markets on the Paris action this summer  the units and potential returns can be transformed into any format.

It has begun! pic.twitter.com/4xOip8MKFn

Noah Lyles, OLY (@LylesNoah) June 23, 2024

The American will face some strong competition in the 200m event although it would be a huge shock if he fails to win gold considering his recent form. The record Olympic US trials time he recorded was the greatest performance seen since Michael Johnson before the 1996 Olympic Games.

Lyles won the bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 but his development since and the records he has broken provide strong precedent to suggest the gold will surely be his in Paris.

The 100m will be a bigger challenge for Lyles

If Lyles is to complete the sprint double, he will have to win what will likely be a much tougher event in the 100m. He set a personal best in the Olympic trials of 9.83 seconds as he narrowly finished ahead of the likes of Fred Kerley.

At his best Lyles will likely be impossible to beat for any of the other competitors although if he does have an off-day, the margins are so slim that it could cost him his gold medal dream.

The American is a narrow 6/4 favourite to win the most anticipated track event of the Olympics this year, which shows that his qualities stand out but the event is wide open compared to the 200m for which he is hugely dominant.

19.53s!!
World Lead

Noah Lyles wins the US mens 200m title, running a blistering SB & Meet Record of 19.53s (+0.5)!

He finished ahead of Kenny Bednarek in a big Personal Best (PB) of 19.59s and Erriyon Knighton in 19.77s.

Christian Coleman ran 19.89s in 4th place. pic.twitter.com/3EgwFq1i98

Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) June 30, 2024

There are ironically several Jamaican sprinters that could prevent Lyles hopes of joining Bolt as a double-winner, while Kerley is an example of another American amongst the predicted frontrunners that could make his depth of experience count.

They will all be reliant on Lyles underperforming the expectations placed on him although the trajectory of his year would suggest he will produce further improvement to his personal best in the 100m final.

Ultimately, only seven different athletes have completed the sprint double at the Olympic Games throughout history and Bolt is the only modern example.

If Lyles can capture gold in the 100m and 200m competitions this year then he will undoubtedly earn a place as an all-time sprinting great and from there he could go on to target becoming the fastest man ever.