All-Time Performance Earns Readers' and Editors' Choice Awards

Track and field fans voiced their choices in this week's DyeStat's Performance of the Week poll, while DyeStat's editors made their own selection.

Readers’ Choice: Noah Lyles

With 70.74 percent of the vote, Noah Lyles won our Readers’ Choice vote, beating Sydney McLaughlin with her second-place tally of 8.3 percent.

Lyles raced for the first time in nearly a month Friday at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting. It was his first race since he lost to Michael Norman by 0.02 seconds in the 200 meters at the Rome Diamond League meeting.

If there was any concern over his fitness, Lyles certainly did not show it Friday. Racing against a field that included Canada's Andre De Grasse and the reigning world champion Ramil Guliyev of Turkey, Lyles got off to a strong start, running a superb bend.

Coming off the turn, Lyles held a small lead over the field, but it was then that the Lyles magic happened. He powered away from everyone to win by meters. The race was not close, but the time outstanding: 19.50. Alex Quinonez of Ecuador, who started outside of Lyles, was pulled to second place in a national record 19.87.

Editors’ Choice: Noah Lyles

Lyles' 19.50 is a fantastic time. It is the eighth fastest time ever run and it places him fourth on the all-time performer list. The men ahead of Lyles on that list are Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Michael Johnson.

For Lyles, it was a personal best by 0.15 seconds, a sizable amount at the elite end of the sport. The performance also now places him  above the likes of Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Walter Dix on the U.S. all-time list.

Looking at more recent history, Lyles became the fastest man at 200 meters since Bolt and Blake ran 19.32 and 19.44 to finish first and second for Jamaica in the 2012 Olympic final.

For Lyles, who turns 22 this month, the season is still young. The USATF Outdoor Championships have yet to be run. Lyles intends to compete in the 200 meters there and qualify for the IAAF World Outdoor Championships. Should he win, it would be his first USATF senior title over his signature distance. However, at this time it appears unlikely that Lyles will defend his 100-meter USATF title from 2018.

Regardless of what happens in Des Moines at the USATF Championships later this month, Lyles has already shown himself to be a fantastic competitor. His early summer form hopefully hints at even better performances in September and October.