Noah Lyles seems to have met his match early on in 2025. Lyles had one of the best Olympics of his entire career. After all, clinching the gold medal in the men’s 100m discipline by clocking in at 9.784s, Lyles was on top of the world. But that was pretty much all the delight he could enjoy. Soon after his 100m triumph, the US track phenom had to settle for bronze at the 200m event, thanks to a bout of COVID-19. But the Olympic champion had more to offer to this world.

After an eventful 2024, the track sensation’s fans were eager to see how the Olympic champion performed in the new year. Quite in line with the expectations, Lyles dropped his first victory of the season at the RADD invitational in Florida with a 60m race time of 6.62s. He also snatched his 4th consecutive New Balance Grand Prix victory. Then came the Ostrava 60m finals. This is where things went south for the 27-year-old. Enter 31-year-old Ronnie Baker! Baker humbled the Olympic gold medalist. Now, Lyles always had an issue with his slow starts. Ahead of Paris, he received significant criticism for his slow off-the-block runs, and this weakness cost Lyles dearly this time.

Baker this time ran a blitzkrieg timing of 6.50s to clinch the top spot in the race. Lyles, however, got impressive timing too, but fell short just by a tad bit as he clocked in at 6.52s. And this was not a fluke from Ronnie Baker by any means at all. Looking at the history of track and field, Baker has been a prominent figure for a long time. 

Specializing in the 60m category, Baker won the overall men’s title at the World Indoor Tour back in 2020. Next up, he also clinched a gold medal at the World Relays participating in the 4x100m category. And if these were not enough, Baker also had a third-place finish at the 2018 World Indoor Championships to further establish himself as one of the dominant track and field forces. 

Ronnie Baker readies for a fresh challenge against a familiar foe

Not just the Olympic champion, Baker got his eyes set on another opponent he loves to compete with– Trayvon Bromell. Over the years, the two have enjoyed a significant rivalry on the track. The year is 2015 and the two meet at the A&M Invite. Bromell clocks in at 6.61 to secure the first place, leaving Baker to settle for the second at 6.65s. But that wasn’t the end. The Kentucky native would soon exact his revenge.

The duo met again at the Big 10 Championships the same year. Baker ran an impressive 6.59s, to secure a second place, following on his heels, Bromell came third with a 6.60s dash. Baker kept up with his good work as they faced off yet again in ATL 2021. Running timing of 6.53s, Baker took the victory, while a 6.58s run assured Bromell of a second-place finish. 

Their last race took place back in 2022 at the Millrose Games. This time however, it was Trayvon Bromell who took second place at 6.50s while Baker got third place at 6.54s. Thus, in their 4 face-offs, things currently stand at an interesting 2-2 apiece. To hype up things further, the duo are due for their fifth 60m clash shortly. 

Coming up this Sunday, Trayvon Bromell and Ronnie Baker will be trying to outpace each other to take a 3-2 lead in their intriguing rivalry. Ronnie Baker will no doubt have the upper hand, having defeated the Olympic champion, Noah Lyles. However, who will have the last laugh is for us to wait and watch.