Richardson and Lyles get off to a fast start in quest for second medals at the world championships

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles each kicked off their quest for a second medal at the world championships. They easily won their heats in the 200-meter preliminaries. Richardson finished in 22.16 seconds and Lyles in 20.05 in a pair of no-drama returns to the track after they gave the United States the first sweep of the 100 meters at a worlds since 2017. Three women who have run faster than Richardson in the 200 — Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred and America’s Gabby Thomas — also qualified easily. Erryion Knighton, the 19-year-old American who is expected to be the biggest threat to Lyles in the 200, advanced as well.