Triple World Champion Noah Lyles has his sights set on Yohan Blake's stadium record of 9.75 seconds, set in 2012, as he prepares to compete in the 100m at the Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday night. Lyles, who wakes up every day with Usain Bolt's world records of 9.58 for the 100m and 19.19 for the 200m on his mind, believes he is getting closer to breaking both records each year.
Speaking at a Racers Grand Prix press conference at the Jamaica Pegasus on Friday, Lyles shared his thoughts on his progress and ambitions.
"Every day, it's (Bolt's records) in the back of my mind. Every day I train as if I'm getting closer and closer because every year I get closer and closer," Lyles said. "Especially this year, we've made a lot of headway in our 100m training, and I'm very eager to show everybody how much headway we've made on Saturday because it's been consistent."
Lyles highlighted the progress he has seen in his training, emphasizing that his improvements are not just occasional but have been consistently evident.
"You know, it's one thing when you get it once or twice in practice, but we've been seeing it happen week after week, run after run, and I believe that the 150m proved that we've been making progress on both ends, on the 200 side and on the 100 side," he said in reference to the American record to the 14.41 he ran at the Adidas Atlanta City Games a week ago.
"And, of course, the world record is always going to be in the back of my mind, but Olympic golds are Olympic golds, and nobody can take those away from you."
While Lyles acknowledges that the 200m world record might be easier to achieve, he remains determined to excel in both events.
"Definitely the 200m is going to be easier. I have a firm, firm chokehold on the 200m right now, and I'd say I'm kind of just letting everybody play their cards for now," he said. "I'm very excited. Tomorrow is gonna be a magical day."
When asked about Blake's stadium record, Lyles responded with enthusiasm and determination. "75? Let's go after that!" he exclaimed.
Lyles' confidence and determination set the stage for an exciting race on Saturday night, as he aims to make history at the National Stadium in Kingston.