Olympic champion Noah Lyles captured his third US 100-meter title on Friday, delivering a world-leading time of 9.79 seconds at the US Track and Field Championships held at Icahn Stadium in New York City. Lyles overcame an early deficit to surge past his competitors in the final 30 meters, securing a decisive victory over veteran sprinter Ronnie Baker. Both Baker and Kenny Bednarek finished with identical times of 9.88 seconds, with Baker narrowly edging Bednarek for second place. Former world champion Christian Coleman followed closely in fourth place, posting a time of 9.93 seconds.
Reflecting on his race, Lyles said he remained confident despite trailing at the start, noting that his coach advised him to maintain close contact with his rivals. He matched his personal best set during the 2024 Paris Olympics and surpassed this year’s previous world-leading mark of 9.82 seconds, held by Jamaica’s Oblique Seville.
In the women’s 100 meters, Sha’Carri Richardson secured her third national title by clocking 10.77 seconds with a favorable wind of 0.9 meters per second. The 26-year-old Texan, who is the reigning world champion and 2024 Olympic silver medalist, demonstrated consistent dominance by pulling away from her training partner Kayla White, who finished second in 10.90 seconds. Tamari Davis completed the podium with a time of 11.00 seconds. Richardson, who struggled during the 2025 season, attributed her victory to improved mental, physical, and emotional health as well as rigorous training with her coach.
Lyles is scheduled to compete again in the 200 meters heats on Saturday, while some prominent athletes opted out of certain events or adjusted their schedules amid a calendar year without World Championships or Olympic qualifying stakes.
Notably, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who swept the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m titles at the World Championships last September, skipped the 100-meter event to focus on the 200-meter heats scheduled for Saturday. Meanwhile, Quincy Hall, the 2024 Paris Olympic 400-meter gold medalist, was unable to advance beyond the heats, posting a time of 46.47 seconds and placing 16th overall in a field led by Khaleb McRae’s 44.65 seconds.
Seventeen-year-old middle-distance runner Cooper Lutkenhaus emerged as a rising star by winning his 800-meter heat with a time of 1:45.83, the third-fastest in the first round, propelled by Wes Ferguson’s leading 1:45.17. Donovan Brazier, the 2019 world champion and last year’s national titleholder, did not progress to the final.