The Olympics are only a few days away, and the USA’s Noah Lyles is pulling no punches along the way. Understandably, one of Team USA’s prominent hopes in Paris would look to tie all the loose ends at this penultimate moment. However, while his recent weeks have been emphatic with several wins, he just hit a pothole at the Racer’s Grand Prix 2024 in Jamaica.

In the men’s 100m event, Lyles marginally missed out on recording another top-of-the-podium finish after Jamaica’s 23-year-old Oblique Seville beat him to the finishing line. Seville ended his run in 9.82 seconds, nabbing the world lead in the event, while the American came in a close second with 9.85 seconds. Such a stunner even took the winner by surprise.

“I feel good. I’m a little surprised. It’s special to be able to run so fast without too much specific work. It shows that I can still do better,” Seville said after the race. This was the youngster’s first 100m race of the season which came at the back of a triumph in the 200m race at the Atlanta City Games and Velocity Fest 14. He also stood atop the podium in the 400m race at the Camperdown Classics in Jamaica. Apart from him, Lyles also faces some familiar rivals in the event.

Lyles faced off against not only the homegrown talent but also his brother Josephus, Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, and Britain’s Zharnel Hughes. The rivalry between Hughes and Noah has become a major talking point within the track and field community after the latter bagged a significant victory against two of the USA’s top sprinting stars at last month’s Jamaican Invitational.

However, Noah asserted his dominance over the Brit once again after the Atlanta City Games as the latter finished fifth at last night’s race. On the other hand, Josephus came in sixth, missing out on another opportunity to record a victory over his sibling. However, despite the race to Paris getting more intense every day, Noah is determined to stay on top of his game navigating tough rivalry.

Noah Lyles has a lot of competition flexing their muscles

When Kenny Bednarek, Noah’s national teammate, picked up the world lead in the men’s 200m race at the Doha Diamond League, Lyles didn’t seem too concerned. Instead, he casually hinted that his colleague’s feat would stay relevant only till they met on the track. On the other hand, before his race at last month’s Atlanta Games, Lyles made it clear that he doesn’t consider anyone a threat in the 200m race, before obliterating Zharnel Hughes in the men’s 150m sprint.

If this wasn’t all, Christian Coleman also claimed days ago that he might be coming for Usain Bolt’s record as well, just like Noah wants to dethrone the Jamaican by winning four gold medals at the 2024 Paris Games. Therefore, a new layer seems to be building up on top of their existing rivalry.

While Noah maintains that the gunman’s actions smeared his latest performance in Jamaica, fans would like nothing better to see the perfect conditions on the banks of the Seine when Lyles takes to the track for his maiden Olympic gold.