Lyles stops in 200m final as Kaalund takes US crown

NEW YORK: Noah Lyles abandoned his bid for a sprint double at the US athletics championships on Sunday after pulling up in the men's 200m final with cramp, leaving Garrett Kaalund to take the national title in 20.04 seconds.

Lyles, who had won the 100m on Friday in a world-leading 9.79sec, slowed as he came off the bend and jogged home. He later said he felt a grabbing sensation in his right thigh and decided not to keep pushing.

He said, "I'm like, yeah, there's no reason to keep pushing that. I just decided to cut it off." Playing down fears of a more serious problem, Lyles added, "It's just cramp. I've got some electrolytes here, I'm going to chug them down. I'm going to rest."

Kaalund, 22, then capped the upset win at Icahn Stadium by receiving congratulations from Lyles after the race. He said, "It's kind of crazy." Brandon Hicklin finished second and Maximilian Thomas third, with both credited at 20.29sec.

Jefferson-Wooden takes women's 200m

In the women's 200m, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden produced one of the standout performances of the meet, winning in 21.69sec, just 0.01 outside her personal best. She came off the turn in front and held on comfortably, with Cambrea Sturgis second in 22.22 and Camryn Dickson third in 22.58.

Jefferson-Wooden, a treble gold medallist at last September's world championships, had skipped the 100m, which was won by Sha'Carri Richardson.

Davis-Woodhall and Tinch win tight contests

Tara Davis-Woodhall extended her long jump winning streak to 19 competitions, sealing victory with a 7.16m leap on her sixth and final attempt. The jump lifted her past Alyssa Jones, who finished second with 6.96m, while Monae' Nichols took bronze with 6.92m.

Davis-Woodhall has not been beaten in the event since finishing runner-up at the 2023 world championships, a run that includes Olympic gold in 2024 and last year's world title. She said, "Today I was like, 'Let's try to do one and done, please," and added, "And of course it never works out that way. It was a battle for sure."

The men's 110m hurdles produced one of the closest finishes of the championships, with Cordell Tinch claiming his first national title by four thousandths of a second. Although both Tinch and Bradley Franklin were initially given 13.00sec, the expanded times showed Tinch at 12.993 and Franklin at 12.997.

Tinch said, "I knew when we crossed the line it didn't matter how close he was. I knew I took first."

Sion and Lutkenhaus add more titles

Valarie Sion secured her eighth straight US women's discus title with a best throw of 69.54m, beating Cierra Jackson, who threw 67.40m a week after finishing ahead of Sion at the London Diamond League.

In the men's 800m, 17-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus won his first outdoor national title in 1min 43.48sec after making his move with 200m remaining. Wes Ferguson was second in 1:44.55.

Lutkenhaus, already the indoor 800m world champion and a double Diamond League winner this year, said, "It was amazing," after completing his goal of taking both the indoor and outdoor US titles in the same season.

With no world championships or Olympic team places at stake this year, several leading athletes adjusted their schedules or skipped events, but the meeting still produced a strong list of established winners and emerging names.