Noah Lyles Spotted at Tom Jones Memorial Hours Before Proving His 100m Record-Breaking Claim

Six-time World Champion Noah Lyles is looking to make the most of the outdoor opportunity after a mixed bag of achievements in the indoor season. USATF Indoor Championships saw him defeating arch-rival Christian Coleman in the 60m dash. But he was handed back the same in the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. With the Olympics on the horizon, Lyles stirred the Track and Field world again by claiming to break Usain Bolt’s record. Not only that, but his bold claims about grabbing all the Olympic medals are also doing rounds.

With that in sight, the Tom Jones Memorial in Florida can be a stepping stone for him. Just ahead of his appearance on the tracks of the event, he was spotted at the venue to stand for his comrades.

In a recent post on X by Rori Dunk, Noah can be seen at the tournament to support the collegiate athletes competing there. “World Champion Noah Lyles in Gainesville to watch the Tom Jones Memorial“, reads the caption of the post, accompanied by a photo of the national sensation looking casual and unfazed by the expectations that can easily give any athlete anxious nights. But when Noah will be seen in action?

Lyles will take to the tracks on the second day of the Florida meet which is 13th April (Saturday). With the World Indoor Championships not bearing the expected results for the speedster, Lyles will be determined to show his worth as he begins his outdoor season with a 100m sprint.

After the showdown in Glasgow earlier this year, Lyles claimed he was extremely excited for the outdoor season, and it looks like watching the nation’s top collegiate and professional athletes in their natural habitat is where Lyles is trying to find his own motivation to triumph at the Olympics. Lyles’ best time in the 100m race of 9.83 (achieved during the 2023 World Championships) is still a long way to go to match up to the Jamaican’s jaw-dropping 9.58. And his way to the top isn’t an easy one either.

Not a smooth sail to the highest peaks

For the Tom Jones memorial, the lineup for men’s 100m includes Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Filippo Tortu. Apart from that, it will also feature Tokyo 2020 Olympians Team USA’s Kenneth Bednarek and Ronnie Baker, and Japanese sprinting star Abdul Hakim Sani Brown. But despite that, one is compelled to think when a legend himself speaks up.

Amid all the discussions about Noah’s claim to break Usain Bolt’s record, Bolt came forward with his thoughts. It reached another level when Bolt said, “I think the possibility is there because he [Noah] came close at the World Championships. I feel like if he corrects a few things- I won’t say–he could get better.” But the legendary Jamaican also had a word of caution.

Bolt clearly stated that it is not an easy task to go for world records in back-to-back events. Because the “body runs out of energy,” according to Bolt. iconic figures such as Asafa Powell and Justin Gatlin also voiced their skepticism about the claim. Noah Lyles surely is noting the words. But that does not deviate him from his goals. He aims for a quadruple gold in Paris (100m, 200m, 4x100m, and 4x400m). It remains to be seen if he succeeds in replying to them all.