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From Usain Bolt to Noah Lyles to Letsile Tebogo, a list of the top 10 200m runners who have shaped the 200m since the '90s.
Usain Bolt, Noah Lyles, Michael Johnson and Letsile Tebogo headline the list of the top 10 all-time best 200m runners in the world.
Faster times have been run since the retirement of Bolt, the Jamaican sprint king, but none has gotten closer to the world record time. Bolt’s world record in the 200m stands at 19.19 seconds, making it the best 200m time in the world.
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Kenny Bednarek also made the cut to the list; thanks to his impressive form this season which has seen him set great times and win a silver medal at the Paris Olympic Games.
1) Usain Bolt
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Bolt is undoubtedly the greatest sprinter the world has ever witnessed, having world records in the 100m and 200m. His 200m time is the best in the world, thanks to his impressive form in 2009.
At the 2009 World Championships, Bolt was flawless as he clocked an astonishing 19.19 to set the world record that stands to date. The only athlete to get closer to that was Yohan Blake.
2) Yohan Blake
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Yohan Blake is the only athlete who threatened Usain Bolt’s existence but injuries slowed him down and his comeback has been a struggle.
However, he remains one of the greatest sprinters. His 200m personal best time is the second best. He clocked 19.26 seconds to win the Diamond League Meeting in Brussels.
3) Noah Lyles
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Noah Lyles wants to break Usain Bolt’s world record and he is currently the third fastest 200m runner alive. The three-time world 200m champion has mastered the art of the 200m but he faces a stern test from Botswanan youngster Letsile Tebogo who pipped him at the Paris Olympic Games.
As many analysts would say, the triple world champion has the 200m as his baby. He clocked the stunning 19.31 to win the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
4) Michael Johnson
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Michael Johnson’s time is slightly after Noah Lyles’ 19.31. Following his retirement years ago, the American sprint legend’s times still dominate among the top fastest times. The four-time Olympic champion had the 400m as his best event but also used to do well in the 200m during his running days.
Johnson’s 19.32 seconds was run back in 1996 at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, with his time being the world record at the time.
5) Letsile Tebogo
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The newly-crowned Olympic 200m champion might just be the latest kid on the block when it comes to the 200m. The 100m might not be his strongest specialty but he has proven with time that the 200m might just be his favourite event.
At the Paris Olympics, he shocked Lyles to claim the win. The American was hoping to win a triple but could only race and win the men’s 100m before he went down with COVID-19. Tebogo’s time of 19.46 seconds was set during the men’s 200m final at the Paris Olympic Games.
6) Erriyon Knighton
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Erriyon Knighton’s life has been marred with tons of controversy but the youngster is undoubtedly one of the best 200m runners. He has a pending doping case and once all is settled, the American will be back with a bang, hoping to prove his doubters wrong.
Knighton set the sixth fastest time in the 200m back in 2022, when he was in the form of his life. He clocked 19.49 seconds at the LSU Invitational before winning the bronze at the World Championships.
7) Walter Dix
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Walter Dix exited the athletics stage with bronze medals in the 100m and 200m at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He also claimed the silver medals in the 100m and 200m at the 2011 Daegu World Championships.
Not much has been said about him but he was an exceptional 200m runner, having recorded some of the fastest times. Dix clocked the second-fastest time of 19.53 in the 200m at the 2011 Diamond League Meeting in Brussels.
8) Justin Gatlin
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Justin Gatlin was always known for his 100m exploits but he was also one exceptional 200m runner. The 2004 Olympic 100m champion has a personal best time of 19.57 seconds that he set in 2015.
Racing at the USATF Track and Field Championships, Gatlin set a new personal best in the 200m as he clocked 19.57 seconds, which was the fifth-fastest performance in history at the time.
9) Tyson Gay
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The American sprint king was truly one of a kind when it came to his talent on the track. He gave the Jamaicans a run for their money with his dominant exploits.
He set the 19.58 seconds in 2009. In his first 200m outing of the season at the Reebok Grand Prix, he set a personal best and meeting-record time of 19.58 seconds. This was the third fastest 200m run ever, after Bolt and Johnson's world record-setting times in 2009.
10) Kenneth Bednarek
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Kenneth Bednarek has enjoyed a great 2024 season, earning a silver medal in the men’s 200m at the Paris Olympic Games.
The American sprinter set a series of world-leading times before the U.S. Olympic trials where he was flawless. Bednarek clocked a stunning 19.59 seconds to finish second behind Noah Lyles.
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