At Paris 2024 Noah Lyles won a historic 100m sprint with 9.79s on the clock. Team USA’s track star defeated Jamaican rival Kishane Thompson by four-thousandths of a second. However, Lyles couldn’t quite reach his goal of defeating the legendary Usain Bolt. While the American sprinter hinted at possibly breaking Bolt’s 9.58s 100m record, he fell short.

Yet, during his appearance on the Everybody Wants To Be Us podcast on YouTube, Lyles made a startling claim. The third-fastest man across 200m was revealed running faster than 9.58 once, but there was a catch. “Have you ever broken the record in training and you’ve been like, ‘Oh, my God, I’ve broken it, but it’s not been recorded.'” asked the host.

Despite initially denying breaking Usain Bolt’s 15-year-old record, Noah Lyles recalled a particular practice session. “I was basically running half a turn and half a straight. And when I came through, my coach showed me the time. It is 9.5s and I’m like, ‘Goodness gracious, I’m gonna break the world record.,” Lyles said during the podcast.

The defending sprint double world champion explained that he had just “turned 24,” when it happened. Yet, the 100m Olympic gold medalist also acknowledged that the recorded time was not accurate. While some of the most advanced cameras record competition times, runners still use hand-held stopwatches during practice. “Hand times are not accurate,” he added.

The 3x Olympic medalist also acknowledged that it was an “unorthodox 100m” sprint. Instead of a standard straight, Lyles started at the 150m mark and ended at the 50m mark, while training for the longer 200m sprint. Despite these discrepancies, running 100m in 9.5s was a huge boost. Yet, Noah Lyles is acutely aware of why he hasn’t come close to Bolt’s record lately.

COVID-19 has always been a thorn in Noah Lyles’ side

The 27-year-old lamented during the podcast how despite beating Bolt’s time in practice he has been unable to retain the form. The American champion explained that before the pandemic he progressed exponentially. However, COVID-19 changed the entire landscape. “I get depressed, I’m dealing with anxiety, and now my times are a lot closer to everybody else,” confessed Lyles.

While the pandemic may have indirectly affected Noah Lyles on the track, the virus was direct this year. After winning gold in the 100m, the defending world champion was on the cusp of an Olympic sprint double. However, COVID-19 derailed his plans as the sprinter tested positive ahead of the 200m race. A diminished Lyles still decided to step on the tracks, earning bronze for his troubles.

While Noah Lyles may have defeated his contemporary Jamaican sprinters, he’s still officially 0.21s behind Thunderbolt. Do you think the World and Olympic champion will break the record in the future? Tell us in the comments.