The one thing Noah Lyles wanted to do at the 2024 Paris Summer Games was clinch three shiny gold medals. While he had already clinched one in the 100m finals, he couldn’t replicate the same result in the 200m finals. After his bid for Olympic glory fell short, the 27-year-old moved on to other things—fashion, glitz, and glamour. That’s right, the sprinter let fans know that Paris was the last time they would see him on the track. “No no no. I ended my season.” Say it isn’t so!

While the Olympian has taken a break from the track, another sprinter may have the 27-year-old beat. A 14-year-old contested the 100m sprint at the Lee Valley athletics meet on August 26. In a stellar show of skill, the wunderkind blazed past his competitors in a U15 world record timing of 10.30 seconds. What’s impressive though is that he did something extremely spectacular. He shaved off two-tenths of a second from the previous record by Sachin Dennis—10.51 seconds. Now, how did Noah Lyles fare at a similar age, you ask?

Right before the Olympic 100m champion turned 15, he recorded a blistering 11.27 seconds at Newport News, Virginia, in 2012. This also happened to be his slowest time recorded. But since then, he has been clawing his way to the top. While his PB used to be 10.31 seconds, he set a new one at the London Diamond League right before stepping into the French capital—9.81 seconds. 

But in the 100m finals on August 4, he defied the odds by clinching an iconic photo-finish victory with 9.79 seconds, his fastest time so far. His 14-year-old successor has always looked up to the 27-year-old. “Noah Lyles is a great athlete, and he’s given me a lot of confidence to pursue this career, run quicker, get a better time. I feel like it gives me the confidence to break more and more barriers as I go through my journey,” says the kid. You might want to remember his name, Divine Iheme. 

However, he isn’t the only one turning heads in the track and field circuit. We’re sure you’ve heard about Quincy Wilson, haven’t you? Just the youngest male U.S. track Olympian ever, no biggie! But the wunderkind impressed the masses much before his maiden Summer Games stint. At the beginning of the year, the 16-year-old contested at the VA Showcase in the indoor 500m event. His blistering time of 1:01:27 set a new U18 world record. In March, he set the fastest time in the U.S. in 2024 with 45.19 seconds in the 400m at the Florida Relays. This was also the 6th fastest time in the world this season. 

16-year-old Gout Gout is hot on Wilson’s heels too! During the Queensland Athletics Championships, his insane 10.02 seconds in the 100m sprint caught everyone’s attention—and rightfully so. The Aussie had previously shattered a national under-18 record at the Australian Junior Athletics Championship in Brisbane and his lightning-fast time of 20.87 seconds in the 200m decimated the previous record held by Darren Clark, Paul Greene, and Zane Bronco—20.90 seconds. As if these young phenoms weren’t enough to keep us on the edge of our seats, your homeboy track and field star has made headlines for a different reason.

Noah Lyles’ much-needed break from the track

The Olympian surprised fans by announcing a new gig he picked up at the New York Fashion Week on his Instagram stories. While the 27-year-old and his girlfriend, Junelle Bromfield, were supposed to be spectators. But he broke the news that he would be on the runway for the world to watch. He even shared snaps of himself from the show on X, captioned, “LYLES X WILLY CHAVARRIA X @adidas.” The sprinter closed off the Adidas subsection of the show in white Adidas shorts, a headband and armband, and fresh kicks. 

After turning heads on the runway, Noah Lyles headed to the U.S. Open next. Spotted next to 7x F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, the two were spotted watching Aryna Sabalenka battle it out with Jessica Pegula. Both of them even shared a lighthearted moment. Fans were beside themselves over this iconic sighting, and it’s obvious that many are hoping he returns to the track sooner rather than later. What do you think of Divine Iheme’s stellar time in the 100m circuit compared to the Olympic 100m champion?