Noah Lyles: "I’ve been saying this for years: when I’m on the relay, we ain’t losing... we might break the world record"

One thing I just thought of, is it a guarantee Lyles is on the 4x100 team? We've got 4 guys in the 100 and all 4 could make the final. Does the running start help Lyles that much?

Knighton deserves to be on the 4x1 over Lyles.

It's embarassing for Lyles to pre-emptively claim credit for the 4x1 winning because if he's on it, he'd by far be the weakest leg. It's like Luke Longly taking credit for an NBA championship over Michael Jordan.

Lyles is an excellent anchor, like a modern-day Carl Lewis equivalent.

WR? No. Nobody can match Dolt or Flake on the bend. And I think Powell still has the fastest anchor leg. Matching Frater and Carter is possible.

Whatever, and yes I know who was on the WR team. Those last 2 legs were epically huge, especially Flake. Team was put together well, and the handoffs were decent—a tall order for the USA.

But they could go really fast if they get lucky.

I think I read that Lyles anchor split was 8.77 during that American record run and that only Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt have run faster. If Lyles comes first or second in the 200 my relay team would be

Coleman -> Kerley -> Knighton -> Lyles

You could also replace Bromell with Coleman on 1st leg if he out-places him in the 100m final. You could also replace Bromell with Knighton on the 3rd leg if you don’t trust an 18 year old to receive and pass the baton lol. I’m putting Knighton as the 3rd leg because of how fast he ran the curve at US championships. I believe he had the fastest first 100m every round.

This shows that you, and others, have NO CLUE what you are talking about.

"Knighton’s 100m split was 10.3 and he rushed home down the straight in 9.2. The teen prodigy’s closing figure was comparable to those for Bolt’s World Record and the two WRs that preceded it, albeit with more favorable wind for Knighton. Splits from those races for comparison: Bolt 19.19(-0.3) 9.92/9.27, Bolt’s 19.30(-0.9) 9.96/9.34, Michael Johnson’s 19.32(0.4) 10.12/9.20."

trackandfieldnews.com

LSU Invitational — Knighton’s Shocking 19.49 - Track & Field News

Sieg Lindstrom

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA, April 30 — The future is here. That’s the only conclusion to be drawn after 18-year-old Erriyon... Read More

Link:trackandfieldnews.com/lsu-invitational...

You might try arguing that Lyles passed Knighton in the last 100m at USAs...yes but that's because Knighton paced it wrong and was too strained in the 1st 100. For a pure 100m split Knighton would be better than Lyles.

Some sprinters just have a thing about that 4x1 anchor, little doubt Jimmy Hines handles Tommie Smith in a 100m but Smith ran the soon to be Olympic 100m champ down on a pre Olympic 4x1. Suppose to be a practice run for our national team.

Little known J.J.Johnson was a great anchor man as was Steve Williams. Obviously Carl Lewis had it down as did Donavan Bailey, no meed to talk Bob Hayes.

Noah Lyles has that he's coming on late the hell with decellerating thing going on a great anchorman and the best in the world right now, no doubt he belongs on our anchor leg.

There is something about who runs what leg, Bruny Surn....third, Leroy Burrell...second...Jon Drummond...leading off, Carl Lewis on anchor.

I'm gonna love watching them drop the baton again.

If you seen Lyles anchor before you'd know he's one of the stronger legs, he's possibly the best anchor runner the US has ever had.

No on best ancor we ever had that would be Lewis but he is the best we have right now.

What! Bolt has the fastest anchor leg in history with a 8.65

Lol. If by ever, you mean, the best anchor named Noah, then yes. Lyles has never really run an amazing anchor but he’s definitely serviceable.

Once again a response oversaturated wirh salt.

Lol maybe.

I also think Knighton could be excellent on both 3rd and anchor. He nailed that turn at nats—BUT likely the reason that Lyles wasn’t with him was just Lyles choice of race distribution, not because he’s absolutely slower. He did beat Knighton in a straight 100 earlier in the year, has improved since then, and has a 9.86 to his credit...and to me it seems that he is back in that kind of shape. And we’re talking about anchor, not the bend.

Now if Knighton shows something really special in the 200, that might be an issue.

The relay bend is funny—not only do you have to be able to accelerate on the fly, you also have to do it around a bend. While Knighton may indeed be better than Lyles on the bend, we’re talking anchor.

If he shows something special, I might put Knighton on that bend, and let Bromell, CC, and Bracy fight for the leadoff—but 2 things, at least: 1) chemistry between Lyles and Knighton, and 2) Knighton’s passing ability, especially taking the stick from an incoming Kerley, which would be tough for anybody. (2) is why I favor Bromell on 3rd, because he has a hole shot that Knighton doesn’t, and the zone is not long.

Lol the US also have King and J. Lyles in the relay pool, those have to be gifts. What about Williams?

NGR, JAM, and RSA look to have decent teams.

Up to 2015, Lee says Powell at 8.68 Beijing ‘08, Bolt 8.69 Moscow ‘13, both from high-speed video analysis by PJV.

But whatever, they are both the fastest ever.

Lyles makes a great anchor and has proven it in one of the few times the U.S. has gotten the baton around in the last twenty years. Knighton is not to be overlooked in this champs, though, because his sole goal in the 200m at U.S. champs was to make the team and he likely didn't realize Lyles was coming until too late. I see 19.3 coming for him. That will force some tough decisions in the 4x1, and we know he runs a great turn.

We also know he runs a great straight. His last 100m of his 19.49 was the fastest ever.

I would go
Coleman -> Kerley -> Knighton -> Boling

Knighton has already shown something special in the 200 - he's run 19.49. The 4th fastest time in history.

The only reason he lost at USATF is he was trying to run 19.4 after 2 previous rounds of the 200, including a semifinal just over an hour earlier. If he paced himself more in the 1st half he would have easily beaten Lyles.

But of course if he had paced himself, he wouldn’t have blown Lyles away on the curve like he did.

And that 19.49 needs confirmation, which he hasn’t yet produced.

Nothing against Knighton, he’a amazing—but he just hasn’t demonstrated the vmax and high-speed bloom that Lyles has, and that Lewis had, and that you want on anchor.

There is mo need for a competition among these guys, they could both be on the relay. I wouldn’t sacrifice Lyles for Knighton though, if they are both running well—I would sooner sacrifice one of Bromell, Bracy, or CC.

CC is a big unknown, that mofo could come with 9.7, in which case he goes on leadoff for sure, in my book.

The exchanges are everything, maintaining baton speed through the zone. CC-Kerley-Knighton-Lyles IMO absolutely could threaten the WR if they nailed it, but they won’t. Bolt to Powell was absolutely mint, what a combo and exchange. Blake to Bolt was also very good. Mitchell to Lewis was great. As good as the US guys are individually, they haven’t shown anything even close to WR-quality combinations between any relay legs.

I would take Marsh-Burrell-Mitchell-Lewis over any team the US could field right now, every time. They would go 37-flat or better on that track kn Eugene, if conditions permitted. Those guys actually took pride in the quality of their exchanges, and worked as a real team. Now the guys here are mostly pretty tight, and except for...Knighton. They hive him slack, though—but the other guys actually have the possibility of working well together, and you can’t buy that sort of chemistry.

CC-Kerley-Bromell-Lyles for me, unless Knighton shows something insane—otherwise IMO the risk isn’t worth the reward.