Noah Lyles sends message to Olympics 100m rivals with personal best in London

Noah Lyles warmed up for his Olympic 100 metres gold medal bid in impressive fashion on Saturday as the American world champion ran a personal best of 9.81 seconds at a Diamond League meeting in London.

Lyles, probably the biggest name in athletics, delivered in the final race of the day in front of a sellout crowd of 60,000, easily the largest on the Diamond League circuit, shaving two hundredths off his best.

South African Akani Simbini took second in 9.86s while Letsile Tebogo was third in 9.88s as the first five across the line all broke 10 seconds.

"That was fun," Lyles told the BBC. "I could have had a better start. The transitions were great and coming away with a PB. I wanted a faster time but I had the wind. After building my confidence and getting through 2021, this has been what I prayed for and what I wanted."

Asked about his aims for Paris, he added: "I'm going to win, it's what I always do. I'm getting faster every week."

Kishane Thompson, a rising star of Jamaican athletics and the fastest man in the world this year after clocking 9.77s in the national trials, was absent at the London Stadium.

In the women's 200m American Gabby Thomas produced a late surge to beat Julien Alfred of St Lucia in a thrilling finish. Thomas clocked 21.82s seconds, carrying Alfred to a personal best of 21.86s before edging her out on the line.

Keely Hodgkinson delivered a big statement that she is the woman to beat in the 800m in Paris when she took more than half a second off her own British women's record with a dominant 1:54.61 victory in a British 1-2-3.

Still only 22, Tokyo silver medallist Hodgkinson is favourite for Olympic gold after Athing Mu failed to qualify following a fall in the US trials.

Hodgkinson was already the only athlete to go under 1.56.00 this year and was joined by compatriot Jemma Reekie (1:55.61), who edged Georgia Bell (1:56.28), both with personal bests, in the second and third fastest times in the world.

Another home athlete stepped up in the men's 400m as Matthew Hudson-Smith stormed home in a spectacular 43.74s - a European record and world lead.

A year ago at this meeting Hudson-Smith left the track in a wheelchair after tearing his Achilles. He recovered to take silver in last year’s world championships and now, as the 12th fastest man in history, is a serious contender to become the first British winner of the event at the Olympics since Eric Liddell 100 years ago.

Hudson-Smith said: "It was an amazing crowd, it's always good to perform in front of them and it's a great send off. It's a long time coming and I'm actually healthy. Now I'm putting in a lot of work. The proof is in the pudding. I'm excited.

"One of the biggest changes is that I'm doing a lot of gym, which I actually hate. It's hard but it's showing benefits. I'm showing I'm more of an overall athlete rather than just keeping fit.

"I'm an overall better athlete and better person. I'm taking more control of myself. I'm on salads now."

Jamaica's Nickisha Pryce also looked in good form when running a world-leading time of 48.57s to win the women’s 400m.

Femke Bol of the Netherlands easily won the women's 400-metre hurdles in 51.30s, cementing her status as another gold-medal contender in Paris.

The 24-year-old world champion, who won bronze in Tokyo, dominated the race from the start, with Shamier Little finishing second in 52.78s, a season's best for the US athlete.

In the men’s version, Brazil’s Tokyo bronze medallist and former world champion Alison dos Santos won in 47.18s.

Italy's Leonardo Fabbri caused a surprise in the shot put, throwing 22.52 metres to beat Ryan Crouser of the U.S., who had been talking up his chances of breaking his own record at the last competition before the Olympics open on Friday.