Plenty of athletes can say they’ve got world titles or hold records, but not many can claim Olympic gold—and that’s what makes Noah Lyles’ win so special. Fresh off being crowned Olympic champion, Lyles turned heads with his dramatic 100-meter dash victory. For most of the race, it seemed like Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson was going to snatch the gold, looking every bit the heir to Usain Bolt. Lyles appeared to be lagging behind, with Thompson leading the charge for the majority of the race.

But in a final moment, Lyles surged ahead, winning by just five-thousandths of a second, even though both athletes clocked in at 9.78 seconds. His torso broke the finish line first, and that tiny margin made all the difference. With the gold medal in hand, Lyles has proven his worth—but with such a close finish, some might still wonder, does this solidify him as the true world’s fastest man?

Since then, fans have been vocal, with some claiming, “They robbed Kishane. Kmt,” while others insist, “KISHANE clearly WON! They’re rigging this in Lyles’ favor.” Meanwhile, Noah Lyles has stayed quiet, letting the chatter grow as he hasn’t competed in any races since his Paris win, even skipping major events like the Diamond League.

Instead, Lyles has been making waves in the fashion world, strutting for Adidas and Steve Aoki’s One Piece Dim Mak Collection at New York Fashion Week. But with no races on his calendar, the questions surrounding his absence have only gotten louder. To address the growing controversy, Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green discussed the issue on their YouTube show, Ready Set Go.

Green kicked off the conversation, saying, “People still—I mean, even though he won the Olympics—people still question, ‘Did he really win that?’ Mostly Jamaicans.” To which Justin Gatlin chimed in, “We made a big fuss, yeah.” Green continued, “They did; they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, he stole it from Kishane,’ or whatever. So, definitely, he (Lyles) doesn’t have to, but if he wants to really solidify his dominance, he’s got to go and do it again.”

Justin quickly asked, “Do what? The 100 again?” Green confirmed, “Yes, he has to win the 100.” Justin seemed unconvinced, replying, “Really? Are you serious? I don’t think so.” He firmly believed that Lyles’ Olympic win already proved he was a top sprinter, essentially backing Lyles’ legitimacy. Green, however, pressed on, saying, “Let me tell you why. How many world championships does Bolt have?” But Justin wasn’t having it, responding, “But we can’t judge him against Bolt, though, bro.”

For now, Noah Lyles holds three Olympic medals—one gold and two bronze. His first bronze came in the 200 meters at the 2021 Olympics and his next bronze this year in the Paris Olympics in the 200m. In comparison, Usain Bolt has an unmatched record of eight Olympic gold medals, with no silver or bronze. Bolt is the only sprinter in history to win both the 100m and 200m Olympic titles in three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012, and 2016), solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest athletes ever.

Green highlighted this during the discussion, emphasizing that Bolt’s dominance was in how many times he was able to go in and dominate, saying, “That’s what made him a dominant athlete.”

Green continued, “People are still not giving it to Noah, even if he won. Like, they’re not giving it to him. I’m not saying he has to do it, but I’m saying if he wants to definitely say, ‘I am the dominant one,’ it can’t be as close. He has to go and assert dominance as, ‘I am the undisputed double champ,’ because that’s what makes duplicating Noah hard, right? What makes duplicating Usain Bolt hard? Winning back, to back, to back championships. That’s what makes it hard.” As Justin puts it, “You could win one time, but can you do it back-to-back?”

He further explained, “The longevity of gold medals is what makes Bolt so great. He doesn’t have a bunch of different color medals—he has a bunch of gold. That’s what made Carl great—you know what I mean—the bunch of gold medals. So, in order for him [Lyles] to do it, he can’t move on just yet. He’s the world champion one time—he has to go and do this again, which will make him a two-time, sequential world champion.” But before the Paris Olympics, Lyles had other plans too—to beat Usain Bolt.

Noah Lyles’ quest to turn the tables on Bolt

During the Paris Olympics event recently held in the city of love and lights, Noah Lyles aimed to outdo the sprinter Usain Bolt by breaking his world records in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races. Lyles confidently stated his aspirations with these words: “He [Usain Bolt] is the fastest man to ever do it, and soon it’ll be me.”

Despite Lyles’s determined efforts to surpass Bolts’ times of 9.58 seconds in the 100 meters and 19.17 seconds in the 200 meters achieved during the 2009 World Championships, his devoted fans and supporters have yet to witness those records being broken to this day.

Lyles is unwavering in his commitment to reaching this objective down the line. He has voiced his aspirations by stating, “I’m trying to get it done as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t give you an exact date. But as athletes, we’re always looking to improve ourselves and tackle greater challenges.“

He added emphatically, “I think everyone sees the world record as No. 1, and I want that to be me.” Lyles unwavering resolve serves as a source of motivation for us all. And for sure, it leaves us anticipating what lies ahead for him in the future. We are hopeful for a better performance from him, possibly witnessing a revolutionary world record being set that will go down in history!