Electric United States Sprinter Noah Lyles Blows Minds With Ridiculous Vertical During Casual Pre-Race Jump

Noah Lyles is the third-fastest man in the United States this year. The ever-polarizing 25-year-old American sprinter qualified for the World Track and Field Championships in Budapest next month with a third-place finish in the 100-meter sprint on Saturday, which sets him up for the 1/2 double.

As the reigning world champion in the 200-meter, Lyles automatically qualified for this year's event. That was not the case in the 100. He had to earn his spot, and did.

Lyles and Christian Coleman were considered the favorites in the event, but Cravont Charleston had other plans and finished .01 seconds ahead of Coleman and .05 ahead of Lyles. All three guys will head to Hungry for Worlds.

Although Lyles' speed is his calling card, it was his vertical leap that blew minds over the weekend. And he wasn't even trying.

Before every race, as many runners do, Lyles slaps his legs around and uses a few standing jumps to get the blood pumping through his body. At just 5-foot-11, the amount of spring that is compacted into his 154-pound frame (his listed height and weight, at least) is downright ridiculous.

When Noah Lyles jumps, he flies!

Perhaps levitates is a better word. His ability to hang in the air is remarkable.

Photographer Howard Lao was in Eugene over the weekend and captured Lyle's pre-race warmup routine. His feet were hovering above the ground at a height that is pretty close to the height of himself. Not quite— but pretty dang close!

In the background of the photo, the people in the stands were astonished. Their jaws were on the floor.

Literally. Look at this guy!

Photo by: Howard Lao

Lyles is stupid fast. Everybody knows that at this point.

However, should he ever get bored with the sprints, he has a future as a jumper. Dude has serious hops!