Noah Lyles Gives Update on Race Against NFL Superstar
Noah Lyles became a true household last name last summer, winning Olympic gold in the 100 meters to claim the title of the world's fastest man. Lyles nearly completed the double by winning the 100 and 200m races, but dealt with COVID symptoms during the longer race.
After the Olympics, Lyles was challenged to a race by a Super Bowl champion and one of the fastest players in NFL history.
A special race against Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was initially planned for this weekend, but Lyles says it appears unlikely to happen.
“We were very deep into creating the event. In fact, it was supposed to happen this weekend,” Lyles said at the Sport Beach event in Cannes, France on Monday.
“Unfortunately there were some things, complications, personal reasons that it just didn’t come to pass, but we were full on. We were gonna have a big event, we were going to shut down New York - Times Square and everything, we were gonna have all the billboards for the event, it was going to be a lot of fun.”
Hill may not be set to race the reigning Olympic champion, but he showed that he has incredible speed in a recent track performance.
The 31-year-old entered a track event last weekend and won the 100m with a time of 10.15 seconds. Hill is four years older than Lyles and has played nine NFL seasons, and he also hasn't run track competitively since high school.
The Dolphins star defeated reigning NCAA Division II champion Isaac Bostio, as well as former Michigan sprinter Asani Hampton at the Last Chance Sprint Series. He even held up a sign saying "Noah could never," indicating that he still wants to race Lyles at some point.
For reference, Lyles won Olympic gold while running the 100 meters in 9.79 seconds last year.
Hill's time is impressive, beating some of his younger NFL peers. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf - a much larger man than Hill and Lyles at 6-foot-4, 229 pounds - ran the race in 10.37 seconds in 2021.
We'll see if the Super Bowl champion and Olympic gold medalist find a way to pull off the ultimate cross-sport showdown.