6x World Champ Noah Lyles has successfully cleared the first round of the men’s 60m dash at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. The 4 February event saw the Budapest threepeater blaze through the tracks and bag the first position, leaving the competition behind.

Noah Lyles clocked a time of 6.54 seconds to finish the distance and was closely followed by Fred Kerley, who clocked 6.57 seconds. The Boston event also witnessed the other half of the Lyles brothers, Josephus Lyles also qualify for the next round. He bagged the eighth place and secured a timing of 6.67 seconds.

Notably, Kerley’s 6.57-second run was his debut attempt at the short racetrack. This showcases that the 28-year-old is almost on par with Noah Lyles right from the get-go, and things are only going to get more intense. Both these compatriots already have a longstanding and well-established rivalry with each other. In fact, both of them have their own areas of dominance as well.

The Noah Lyles versus Fred Kerley saga

Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley have brought immense glory to the United States and constantly compete to get faster and better. Speaking in terms of head-to-head clashes, while Kerley has always excelled in the 100m tracks, Lyles has reigned supreme in the 200m contest. 

Fred Kerley has an undisputed 4-0 lead against the Budapest threepeater in the 100m setup. On the other hand, Noah Lyles has left Kerley in the dust five times to none when another 100m gets added to the distance. This naturally leads one to think that the 3x World Champ Kerley is a better option on shorter tracks.

But, the first heat of the 60m dash at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix unfolded a very different picture. However, it should also be considered that this was just the first heat. Moreover, despite running the distance for the first time, Kerley is just three-hundredths of a second behind Noah Lyles.

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Interestingly, this healthy competition between Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley has also inspired the other US sprinters to step up their game. As a result, barring Ackeem Blake of Jamaica and Hakim Sani Brown of Japan, every other qualifier is an American. Who do you think will ultimately win the first sprinting event of 2024?

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