The sprinting world thrives on speed and skill—and a fair share of controversy and rivalry, sometimes between the track athletes and sometimes that extend beyond the track. When Noah Lyles blazed through the New Balance Grand Prix with a 6.52-second finish, it wasn’t just another victory, it was a bold message to Tyreek Hill, with whom the Olympic champion has been involved in quite an animated rivalry. After his Grand Prix win, the Florida native couldn’t hold himself back from taking a dig at the wide receiver.

Adding fuel to the already intense rivalry, Noah Lyles said on NBC, “Tyreek could never.“ With that comment, the rivalry between the Miami Dolphins star and the Olympic sprinter lit up again. Do things stop here? Well, no, they don’t. Any statement in such a rivalry becomes a hot topic of conversation, and that’s what happened in their case.

Track and field legend Justin Gatlin posted a video on his X handle with a caption. It reads, “He’s going to need more than 8 weeks 😂 Tyreek ducking the smoke. @LylesNoah.” In conversation with Rodney Green, Gatlin supported Noah and praised him for his achievement in the New Balance Grand Prix.

Gatlin said, “People are going to talk trash; he’s not going back down. The boy came across that line in that final with a 6.52, shredded his stuff back down to the 60-meter finish line, and then he looked around the crowd. Grabbed the bib off the back and held it up—that man could never.” Noah Lyles opened his season with identical 60-meter timings of 6.62 seconds at the RADD Invitational in Gainesville, Florida. His performance at the RADD invitational was the first ever since his Olympics win.

Gatlin reflected upon what could have been the Olympic gold medalist’s state of mind following his victory at the Grand Prix on Feb 2. “He could have let it die. He could have been like, “Oh, you know, it’s a little trash talk here and there,’ or whatever like that. But he said, ‘Look, bro. You want this? Here it is. Come and get it.’” The track and field star doesn’t seem to get enough of the feud and has no plans to stop.

What about Hill’s response? Well, the wide receiver kept it short, simple, and nonchalant. “Get a load of this guy 😂“ What will become of this rivalry remains to be seen. But how did it even begin?

Tyreek Hill needs eight weeks of training to defeat Noah Lyles

The feud goes back to 2023 when the champion sprinter took a dig at the NBA’s world champion title, “world champion of what? the United States?” Lyles’ comment didn’t go down well with the NBA and NFL fraternity. Hill too, didn’t let go of any opportunity to drag the Olympic champion. In his appearance on the sports podcast  “Up and Adams” in August 2024, The Georgia native made a tall claim, “I will beat Noah Lyles. I won’t beat him by a lot, but I will beat Noah Lyles.” Yikes! this didn’t sit quite right with Noah Lyles; the two have been going back and forth since then. But claims aside, let’s talk about facts. Will the star wide receiver be able to beat the sprinter in a race? Rodney Green has some views on the matter.

“After watching Noah these last two weeks, he’s going to be like, ‘Man, I probably need about eight weeks to train.’” But will even eight weeks be enough? The sprinter delivered a spectacular performance in the Boston race on Feb 2, clocking in at 6.52, winning the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix title for the fourth time in a row. Tyreek Hill may want to defeat Lyles all he wants, but sprinting and football are two entirely different worlds.

Racing on the field and the running track seem to share a common quality of speed. However, both require different abilities. Sprint performance is pure acceleration, high-speed running, and keeping a tight form, running in a straight line. In contrast, football speed is situational—athletes must change direction, react to defenders, and control the ball while sprinting. Track runners focus on explosive power and endurance, while football players prioritize agility, strength, and tactics—making elite track sprinting a different challenge requiring specialized training.

While Hill is incredibly fast for a football player, eight weeks’ worth of training would probably not close the gap between him and someone like Noah Lyles. It will be interesting to see the champion sprinter and the star wide receiver competing against each other. What do you think? is such a possibility actually on the table? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!