American Noah Lyles has the chance to become the first man since Usain Bolt to complete an Olympic sprint double after qualifying for the 200m final at Paris 2024.
Lyles won 100m gold by five-thousandths of a second from Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in a dramatic photo finish on Sunday.
The 27-year-old, winner of three golds at last year’s World Championships, finished second in his 200m semi-final in 20.08 seconds to Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo.
World 100m silver and 200m bronze medallist Tebogo set the fastest time of the round at Stade de France on Wednesday evening, clocking 19.96secs.
The Olympic men’s 200m final takes place on Thursday at 19:30 BST.
Kenneth Bednarek, of the United States, also set a faster time than Lyles, in 20.00, while compatriot Erriyon Knighton, who upgraded to world 200m silver last year, also safely progressed.
But Canada’s Andre de Grasse will not defend his title in the final after finishing third in his race (20.41).
The Olympic 200m bronze winner three years ago, Lyles claimed world 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold in Budapest last year.
Following that achievement, when he became the first man since Bolt in 2015 to complete a 100m and 200m world double, he claimed he could look to add the 4x400m relay title to that treble haul in Paris.
Jamaican sprint legend Bolt completed individual sprint doubles at three successive Olympic Games among his eight titles, adding relay gold in 2012 and 2016.
Only nine men have achieved that double in the history of the Games.
Lyles became the first American to win an Olympic 100m title for 20 years, since Justin Gatlin in 2004, with his narrow 100m triumph.
A three-time reigning world 200m champion, he will line up as favourite as he looks to further assert himself as the dominant male sprinter of the current generation.
Elsewhere during Wednesday’s evening session, Great Britain’s Amber Anning reached the final of the women’s 400m.
Olympic debutant Anning, 23, finished second in her semi-final in a personal best of 49.47.
However, team-mates Laviai Nielsen (50.69) and Victoria Ohuruogu (51.14) missed out.
Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke was among the other qualifiers for that final, which takes place on Friday at 19:00.
Team GB’s Alastair Chalmers exited the men’s 400m hurdles after suffering a fall in his semi-final.
Norway’s world record holder Karsten Warholm qualified fastest for the final in 47.67.
Tade Ojora was unable to reach the men’s 110m hurdles final, finishing seventh in his heat.
American three-time world champion Grant Holloway recorded the fastest time in 12.98 as he seeks to upgrade his Tokyo silver.
Source Agencies
