Noah Lyles is a reigning 100m and 200m world champion, however, he often makes headlines for his confidence and his claims of breaking world records. The sprinter made a splash on the track with his American record at the Adidas Pro Atlanta Games, beating Tyson Gay’s previous record. With this, Noah took to the track with hopes of setting another blazing record.

However, the latest performance by the world champion sprinter fell short of expectations as he also failed to impress a Caribbean sprinting veteran from the Bahamas. The legend who specializes in 100m and holds personal bests as low as 6.65 in 60 meters, seemed to raise an eyebrow at the disparity between Lyles’ statement of breaking a world record and his ability to break an American record instead. 

Noah Lyles faces criticism from veteran sprinter

In a recent YouTube podcast on Justin Gaitlin’s channel, veteran Rodney Green expressed his doubts about Noah Lyles’ abilities. He said, “People be like y’all talk about Noah a lot, man but Noah makes himself available a lot, you know what I mean.” Hinting at how Noah Lyles always ends up in headlines because of his claims of breaking world records and the records he sets himself. He continued to talk about the Adidas Pro Atlanta Games saying, “Noah ran 14.41 which is better than last year [at Bahamas] but what I think about the difference about this is he hasn’t run a 200 yet.” 

He didn’t seem particularly pleased with Lyles’ 14.41 seconds American record time at the 150m sprint. Green added, “He said he had the best training session of his life before he ran this race and then he hasn’t run a 200 yet which is his favorite race and which is his speciality.” Here he’s referring back to the interview Lyles did before the Games where he said he had been hitting as low as Usain Bolt’s 2008 Olympics record of 9.69s in a 100m race. Notwithstanding Green’s opinion, Lyles has managed to make another record for himself.

At the Atlanta Games, where Noah Lyles won gold, his time was considerably less than his competitors. Beating Zharnel Hughes and Alexander Ogando who placed second and third respectively. Though Lyles could not match the American 14.35 seconds record set by Usain Bolt in 2009, his time was still impeccable. He said in an interview before the Atlanta Games that it has been “me vs me,” as he won 6 titles in the last 8 years. Last year, Lyles became the first man since 2015 to win world titles at 100m, 200m, and in the 4x100m relay. However in 2024, at the 60m, he also won his first USATF indoor national title and earned silver medals at the World Athletics Indoor Championships. 

Noah Lyles rewrites history with American record

Noah Lyles made several Instagram posts after his Atlanta win. He was seen receiving a bouquet after winning the match and taking a bow on the blue track. Lyles captioned them, “American record in the bag”. He finished only 0.06 seconds behind Usain Bolt’s record thus showcasing his prowess in the sport. In a post-race interview, he said, “I would say 100% a reign of dominance. I tied the American record, shot for the world record, but I mean I guess, I’ll settle for Tyson’s American record.” This just goes to prove how much sense of purpose Lyles runs with every time he approaches a race.

Adidas Atlanta City Games also shared a tweet saying, “Take a bow, @LylesNoah 👏 Watch the moment Noah Lyles ties the American record in the 150m with a time of 14.41 at adidas Atlanta City Games 🎆”. This race is a surefire sign that Lyles is on his way to the Olympics in August. Lyles has been working closely with coach Lance Brauman to fine-tune his outdoor training regimen. He has also been participating in top events like the New York Grand Prix, Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships, and World Athletics Championships. This allows him to scope out his competitors and prove himself on a grand stage. As a stepping stone to the Olympics, Lyles will be competing in Herculis EBS, in July, and Athletissima, in August this year as well. His main goal is to win a quadruple gold in the Olympics this August and he is doing his best to get there.