Noah Lyles 'fun' 2026 season continues with 200m opener in Fayetteville

After declaring that the 2026 season is just about having 'fun', Noah Lyles is confirmed to compete in the men's 200m event on February 14, at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

His confirmation has generated significant excitement for the meet organizers. "It’s a big get for any meet anywhere if Noah Lyles is coming to your meet to compete," said Arkansas men’s coach Doug Case in a statement. "We’re really excited about having the world’s fastest man at the Tyson Invitational."

Case also encouraged fans to attend the highly anticipated race. "Hopefully we can get a lot of people to come out and watch him run on Saturday. It’s going to be a great experience and I think it will be worth coming to see."

Lyles will be competing in his third race of the season after his 300m opener at the Carnes Invitational, where he won the race in a convenient 32.60s. Then at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, he was narrowly beaten by his training partner Jereem Richards in 32.14s to his 32.15s.

This time in Arkansas, Lyles will compete in his favourite event, the 200m, gunning to clock a fast time as he continues preparations for the rest of the season.

The six-time world champion has an indoor personal best of 20.63s ran back in 2016, while he owns the outdoor American record of 19.31s.