MIAMI (USA) (AFP) — US sprint star Noah Lyles will miss Friday’s Monaco Diamond League event to train for the Paris Olympics, his management team said on Wednesday.
Lyles, the reigning world 100m and 200m champion, was scheduled to compete in the 200m at Friday’s meet at the Stade Louis II in Monaco.
But the 26-year-old said in a statement that he had chosen to remain at his training camp in Florida to undertake additional training to prepare for the Olympics, where he will be targeting a record double in the 100m and 200m.
“I regret to announce that I will be withdrawing from the Hercules EBS meeting in Monaco this Friday,” Lyles said in a statement.
“My coaches, the entire team and myself are very pleased with what we were able to accomplish at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, but we have decided to spend an additional week at our training base in Florida before traveling to Europe to put ourselves in the best position possible to succeed in Paris.
“Although I will miss Friday’s race, I look forward to returning to racing in Monaco next year.”
Lyles is the overwhelming favorite to win the 200 meters at the Olympics, having recorded a top time of 19.53 seconds at last month’s U.S. Olympic Trials and becoming the fastest runner in the world over the distance this season.
He is the fourth-fastest runner in the 100 meters this year with a best time of 9.83 seconds, which he also recorded at the U.S. qualifying round.
