The rivalry between Letsile Tebogo and Noah Lyles took centre stage once again at the Diamond League final in Zurich on Thursday, Afrosport reports.
Tebogo made a blistering start in the men’s 200 metres at the Letzigrund Stadium, surging ahead early on and looking set for victory. However, world champion Lyles produced a trademark late charge to edge past the Olympic champion in a thrilling finish.
The 28-year-old American clocked 19.74 seconds to seal victory, with Tebogo finishing just 0.02s behind in a season’s best of 19.76s. The result handed Lyles his sixth Diamond League crown – more than any other track athlete in history – and his fifth title in the 200m discipline.
Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando completed the podium in third place with a time of 20.14s.
Tebogo, meanwhile, was recognised for his outstanding season as he received the Jesse Owens Rising Star award alongside Kenya’s Faith Cherotich, who claimed gold in the women’s 3000m steeplechase. The award is presented annually to the best-performing male and female athletes aged 23 or under at the Diamond League final.
