Will Noah Lyles break Usain Bolt's 200-meter world record? Science and training give him a chance, experts say

Noah Lyles became the “world’s fastest man” when he won the 100 meters at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.But the American sprinter’s time of 9.79 seconds fell short of the world record of 9.58 set by Usain Bolt of Jamaica 15 years ago.Lyles will have another shot at Bolt when he competes in the 200 final on Thursday. Bolt also holds that world record (19.19), also since 2009.Some say Bolt’s records will never be broken — that we’ve reached the limits of human physiology — but Northeastern University experts aren’t so sure.“I do think that Bolt’s record will be broken at some point,” says David Nolan, an associate clinical professor at Northeastern and director of the Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program.“We’ll always be finding ways to push the limits of human performance,” says Stephen B. Clark, Northeastern assistant clinical professor of physical therapy, human movement and rehabilitation sciences.Even if it’s just by split seconds, “there should be records that can be continuall...