Fans had been waiting for Noah Lyles to show up in the 2025 season. There was a trailer of how quick the athlete is with his 6.52 in the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, but that was in February. He was supposed to race at the Adidas Atlanta City Games. However, he withdrew from the 150 m street race in Atlanta due to a tight ankle, opting not to risk an injury. Then there was the Prefontaine classic. Again, Lyles was supposed to be there, but the lingering ankle tightness stopped him. Then came Monaco DL, and he proved why an Olympic gold medal is to his name.
After nearly three months without an individual sprint start, Lyles returned at Monaco’s Diamond League meet on July 11 and dominated the 200 m in 19.88 s, defeating Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo (19.97) in the process. This race was not only a slap to all his haters who thought the Olympian was done and dusted, but it was also a shock to track and field legend. So much so that he even praised him after that and sent out some big words for what he was doing before making his 2025 200m debut.
“For him to take off with three months almost of not training or what will not competing, should I say, and to work in silence, to work in a space where he shows up and runs 19.8, We’re looking at a different athlete now,” said Justin Gatlin in the latest episode of Ready Set Go aired on July 17, 2025. Noah Lyles marked his return to peak form by winning the Monaco Diamond League 200 m on July 11, 2025, exactly 83 days after his last race—a 400 m run on April 19 at the Tom Jones Memorial. Citing that, Gatlin concluded that the current Olympic gold medalist can “be prepared anytime he wants to be prepared any other season now. I don’t got to show up in May. I don’t got to show up in June. I can show up when I want to show up and be ready to go.“
Gatlin further broke down the 100m from the Monaco DL. “By the time they got down to about 50 meters to go, they were right there stride for stride, like Bernard said, right next to each other. And he just overpowered the whole situation to be able to pull off that win. You know what I mean?” he asked. Tebogo had a fast start and kept pace with Lyles around the curve, the two running side by side as they entered the home straight. However, in the final 50 metres, the American surged ahead to win in 19.88 seconds, while Tebogo finished close behind in 19.97.
Credits- Imago
He also talked of how Letsile Tebogo was important in the race, saying, “Can’t count Tebogo out because Tebogo just a week ago went out there and ran 19.7, right? And that was a cruiser race himself. He cruised that 19.7.” At the Eugene Diamond League on July 5, 2025, he notched a 19.76s for the 200 m, sailing smoothly to a world-leading time. Count that in the track and field legend pointed out that if he had clocked that 19.7 in Monaco, it would be a different picture altogether. The odds were with him, but Lyles just bested everything. Getting behind the reasons of a tired Tebogo, at Monaco, Gatlin said he had to get on a plane and travel to Monaco and be prepared. And then he didn’t have an adequate warmup. Rodney argued that none of the athletes did, and Justin agreed.
Gatlin also argued that if Noah knew he would be in the call room in 30 minutes, he’s going to warm up a whole hour and a half before then. “Noah’s at a level to where if he’s looking to become an icon, he’s walking that path right now because you went out there three months off, came back, ran fast, and he prepared himself the right way.” He concluded. Was the Olympic gold medalist up to join these three months?
Noah Lyles before his Diamond League comeback
Noah Lyles‘ last individual outing had been earlier in the season, running the 400 m at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, where he clocked 45.87s but finished fifth, so low for what he was. His ankle had already stopped him from being in the Atlanta Games, but despite not competing in the Atlanta Games, Noah also confirmed that his season was far from over. And as the Monaco DL came closer, the world saw a different side of the Olympian. Well, who would have thought that a guy like Noah Lyles would delete all his posts from his Instagram? But he did!!
There was also something different about him in that 200m race. He was jacked, more muscular, and built. His social media is the answer to all this. Posts on his Instagram showed montage clips of workouts and warm-ups, accompanied by faith‑inspired messages referencing Proverbs 3:5 (Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding) and Psalm 118:8 (It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man). And in these videos, he was working out hard, like extremely hard, whether in the gym or on the track. Everything paid out in the end, and now his next target is the 100m in the London DL. Who’s winning?
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