First Jimmy Fallon made the error. Then Kelly Clarkson. Now a star gymnast seems to have made the same mistake regarding Noah Lyles. And that attracted the ire of Instagram users. What did she say?

On July 23, Joscelyn Roberson shared a picture with Lyles and captioned it, “GUYS!! I just met the fastest man alive!!! #Olympics #TeamUSA.”

The duo is in full training mode now, and their sudden meeting at the Paris Olympics Village made the gymnast pose for a photo with the athlete. At first glance, the caption seemed harmless, but that’s exactly what became a point of contention among X users. Who is the fastest man alive? This debate is nowhere close to a culmination. Many track and field fans believe that the title belongs to Usain Bolt.

Usain Bolt’s unbroken world records:

Having those records ultimately makes the Jamaican the fastest man alive. Then there are others who believe Kishane Thompson is the current fastest man as he is sitting at the top of the world-leading 100-meter list this season.

Well, Joscelyn Roberson may have unknowingly started the debate all over again. However, this also reminds us of how Noah Lyles aims to break Bolt’s world record in Paris. “Grabbing a world record is one of the two things that I still have left to do one being winning an Olympic gold medal and then breaking a world record. It’s on the list, if I aim to be the greatest, there is just something that I have to get or I want to get,” he said last month.

Until he breaks Bolt’s records, track and field fans won’t allow him to use the title. Here’s what X fans had to say about Lyles.

Fans get sarcastic with Noah Lyles… ‘Where is Bolt?’

Almost every fan loathed the caption for touting the American sprinter as the “fastest man alive”. One such individual commented, “Where’s Bolt? He standing behind Noah?”

“Facts check please because that statement is grossly disrespectful to the great Usain Bolt,” wrote another.

Well, Usain Bolt retired in 2017. And Noah Lyles had just turned pro back then. No doubt the American aims to break Bolt’s record. In fact, he did break one record. In July 2023, Lyles finished 35 sprints in 200m in under 20 seconds. Well, Bolt had 34 sprints in under 20 seconds until he retired. However, breaking a world record would be one of his biggest achievements.

But coming back to the fans, an X user commented, “Cute.. but that’s not Usain Bolt.”

Another person wrote, “Damn. Usain Bolt shrunk and now looks like Noah Lyles? Oh and the fastest 100m times this year is currently held by Kishane Thompson. 9.77 seconds.”

This reminds us how fans had a similar reaction when Kelly Clarkson introduced Lyles as “the fastest man in the world” earlier this month. In June, Jimmy Fallon too called him “the fastest man in the world” on his show and angered track and field fans.

Further, fans also stated:

• “Who’s going to tell her?  Usain Bolt is still alive and he’s the fastest man. Noah lyes fastest time in 100 is 9.81 you know how many men alive has ran lower than that?”
• “Correction, he is the 15th fastest man ever.”

True, Noah Lyles is in the 15th position of all-time best chart in men’s 100m. But let us not forget that the American earned the title of ‘the fastest man in the world’ last year after winning the 100 and 200 meters at the World Championships. Now, the 2024 Paris Olympics will be the one big chance Lyles has to prove himself.

Do you think Noah Lyles can call himself the fastest man in the world? Share your thoughts in the comments below.