2. Noah Lyles Over Michael Norman, Ryan Clark In USATF Jrs. Showdown
It was a battle of East Coast vs. The South vs. West Coast at USATF Junior Nationals.
Noah Lyles, the Virginia state champion from T.C. Williams High School, swept the 100m and 200m at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.
Ryan Clark, the Georgia state champion from Banneker High School, was disqualified at New Balance in the 100m and placed second behind Lyles in the 200m. He recorded wins over Lyles at the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational and the New Balance Nationals Indoor 60m.
Michael Norman, the California state champion from Vista Murrieta High School, swept the 200m and 400m at the CIF State Finals, won the Brooks PR Invitational 400m and the adidas Dream 100.
With slightly higher profile wins, Norman seemed to be the favorite -- yet there was no overlooking Lyles' 20.48 PR or Clark's 20.58 credentials.
In the prelims at Hayward Field, both Norman and Lyles won their heats in 20.85 and 20.9, respectively. Clark advanced with the fastest time of the day in 20.71.
It would take an All-Time performance to win in this field:
| M 200 Meter Dash - Finals | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Overall | Athlete | Class | Team | Result | Heat | Wind |
| 1 | 1 | Lyles, Noah | 11 | T.C. Williams High School | 20.18 | 1 | 1.8 |
| 2 | 2 | Norman, Michael | 11 | Vista Murrieta High School (SS) | 20.24 | 1 | 1.8 |
| 3 | 3 | Clark, Ryan | 12 | Banneker | 20.46 | 1 | 1.8 |
Lyles' 20.18 ranks No. 3 on the U.S. All-Time List. Norman's 20.24 ranks No. 6 All-Time.
Watch the post-race interview with Lyles and Norman:
2015 USATF Jr. Nationals results and coverage