Life can be quite unpredictable. And it sure can fall back on you. Just look at Sha’Carri Richardson. Back in 2023, she was one of the most successful track and field stars of the year, along with Noah Lyles. But fast forward one year, and the magic ran dry. And while Noah Lyles was basking in the glory of the 100-meter gold at Paris 2024, Richardson was shocked to just a silver. But that was not the end of it. Lyles, in true Lyles fashion, had to stir up something as he made some rather snarky remarks.

Now, 2023 saw Lyles bag 3 golds at the World Championship in Budapest while Richardson got one. But when she failed to translate that success into 2024, Lyles wasn’t impressed. Now, controversy and Noah Lyles almost go hand in hand. Whether it is his bold claims of breaking Usain Bolt’s record or his fallout with the NBA athletes. Lyles has always been the ‘bad boy’ of the sprinting realm.

Continuing his trend of coming up with debatable takes on topics, the Olympic gold medalist hailed Julien Alfred as the fastest women sprinter instead of Sha’Carri Richardson. While such a statement might add further insult to injury to Richardson’s crushing Olympics defeat, here’s a look at what Lyles really said. 

On the February 26, 2025 episode of The Toure Show, the duo delved into the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Discussing probable matchups that might intrigue the fans, the host brought up the rivalry of Julien Alfred and Sha’Carri Richardson. That is when Noah Lyles intervened and stated, “Well, Sha’Carri Richardson is not the world’s best… Julien Alfred is.”

However, very swiftly, Lyles clarified his stance and mentioned that Richardson was a World Champion while Alfred was an Olympic champion. But that did not stop the fans from bashing the Olympic gold medal winner. And there are reasons for the same. If we take only the Olympics timings into consideration, surely it was Julien Alfred who reigned supreme.

In fact, she also clinched the World Indoor 60m crown and the Diamond League title to cap off an incredible 2024. However, things change drastically if the overall fastest timings are being considered. Sha’Carri Richardson triumphed Julien Alfred by 0.01s, as the American had clocked 10.71s to take the crown of the fastest. 

Such a disparity has caused the fans to lash out at Lyles. They criticized him for allegedly not having enough knowledge on who the actual fastest runner was. Lyles also faced criticism as he claimed himself as the ‘fastest’ in the men’s category, while in reality, it is Usain Bolt who holds the overall record for being the fastest male athlete. Thus, with yet another controversy brewing, the fans did not mince their words for Noah Lyles. 

Fans bash Noah Lyles over track and field ignorance

Alfred’s best is 10.72 seconds, set during her gold medal run at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

However, the Olympic champion is generally referred to as the fastest. Referring to the same, one track enthusiast commented, “She isn’t the fastest in the world because she didn’t run the fastest time last year—she just won the title. But I guess that’s how it goes.” However, amid this conversation surrounding Sha’Carri Richardson and Julien Alfred, several netizens perceived it in a different light. 

Many thought that Noah was particularly hinting at Alfred as the fastest woman to make it clear that, going by the same term, Lyles is the fastest man. Highlighting the same one fan took a dig at Noah and commented, “Tebogo is faster than Noah😁😁.”. If the personal best of Tebogo and Lyles is taken into consideration, Lyles would edge out Tebogo, as his best is 9.79 seconds, achieved in Paris.

While for Tebogo it’s 9.86 seconds, recorded during the 2024 Paris Olympics. In 200 meters too, Lyles’ personal best is 19.31, as has been recorded in the Eugene 2022 World Championship. And for Tebogo, it’s 19.46 seconds as he clocked in Paris. However, Tebogo left Lyles behind in the 200-meter dash in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Another fan too echoed the same emotion and bashed Noah in the comment section. The X user wrote, “I mean, he has to justify his title so he’s being consistent lmao 😂.” Amid the backlashes that were piling up for Noah in the comment section of the X post, one fan voiced their support for Noah‘s opinion. Sharing their personal take, the netizen commented, “What’s wrong with what he said? To me, the world’s fastest is who ran the fastest on the world’s biggest stage (Olympics, World Championships), not invitationals and times.”

Another fan too compared Lyles to Thompson as the sprinter compared Alfred to Richardson. They wrote, “@LylesNoah, you’re actually not the fastest in the world. Kishane Thompson is. @itsshacarri is the fastest in the world. End of conversation.” Going head-to-head at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Alfred clinched gold in the 100 meters with a time of 10.72 seconds, while Richardson took silver in 10.87 seconds.

Subsequently, at the Diamond League meet in Zurich, Richardson edged out Alfred, finishing in 10.84 seconds to Alfred’s 10.88 seconds. Thus, undoubtedly, Richardson and Alfred’s rivalry can be considered one of the most intriguing rivalries in the track world. And it’s just for time to tell who can be declared as the superior force on the track.

Thus, it is evident that Noah Lyles has yet again become the target of online hatred. Now, it remains to be seen whether Lyles can come out of this mess clearly in the upcoming days.