Who can argue with success? A Paris Olympics gold medalist silenced Noah Lyles’ critics after declaring him the “world’s fastest man.” Fresh off his 100m gold, Noah Lyles arrived in Paris with swagger and a bit of controversy. The double world champion confidently stated, “It’s always going to be me,” sparking reactions online. The video, posted on Team USA’s social channels, drew criticism, even after Lyles’ historic photo-finish win in 9.79 seconds, beating Jamaican Kishane Thompson by five-thousandths of a second. 

Lyles defended his claim, saying the ‘fastest’ tag belongs to the winner. Yet, the hate continued. Amidst this, Rai Benjamin, another Paris Olympics 2x gold medalist, stepped in to support Lyles. On X, Benjamin highlighted the impact of Lyles’ bold actions, writing, “For everyone asking how. Being DENSE on purpose is so interesting to me lol. Nonetheless. The level of attention he brought after sprint/ during the games/ post OLY. The Fact that that post even triggered you 😂😂😂. Dude changed the game forever. Whether you like it or not. 🇺🇸🦅”

Benjamin finds it amusing that Lyles’ comments continue to stir such strong reactions. Before this, Benjamin posted on X, “Noah Lyles really changed the game man. You can keep fooling yourself but he really changed the game 😂.” He sees Lyles’ confidence and performance as reshaping the sprinting world, and despite the backlash, Benjamin believes Noah’s impact is undeniable and rising. Benjamin asserted that regardless of all the criticism, Noah Lyles’ dominance in the track and field is unquestionable.

After finishing third in the 200m final at the Paris Olympics, Noah took to Instagram to acknowledge all the support he received from his compatriots. He even reacted to all the hateful comments, writing, “Whether you were rooting for me or against me, you have to admit you watched, didn’t you? 😉” in a playful way. This sporting spirit of Noah is what Rai Benjamin admires the most. This isn’t the first time he’s defended Noah; he’s also shut down critics who questioned his ‘fastest man’ claim.

Rai Benjamin on Noah Lyles’ 100m success and why more fans should support him!

The 400m hurdle winner in the 2024 Olympics has always been very outspoken about Noah’s performances, and Noah always gets his back. To show his support, he once expressed his disgust by saying, “Some of the Jamaicans didn’t like my tweet. That wasn’t gearing the tweet toward them. Noah has been garnering a lot of hate from U.S. fans and it’s just kind of sad to see.” After the Paris 100m event, his post on X created a pin-drop silence when he said, “Tyreek, you’re not beating Noah in the 100, man.” Right after the race, Rai even talked about how Noah’s performance slowly overtook Jamaican dominance in the track and field.

So, this may have upset the Jamaican fans, who did not take it sportingly. He further talked about how he has overcome the severe depression that he faced in 2021, right after the Tokyo Olympics. The emerging World Champion once admitted, “I’ve been through the hardest parts,” and how he used to go for several therapies. According to Rai Benjamin, instead of merely offering advice on mental health online, people should actively support Noah. He questions why, when so many advocate for mental health care, someone pursuing their dreams and aspirations is criticized and put down.

After Noah got so many negative comments about his claim to be the world’s fastest man, he suggested that more American fans should show some support for Noah. He expressed his utmost desire and said, “I just want to see him have more American support. That’s why we’re here. It’s all about this flag right here 🇺🇸.” He emphasizes the importance of having strong support from your own country, noting that athletes from other nations often receive unwavering backing. As Benjamin pointed out, “Everyone else from every other country supports their athletes.” He believes that in some countries, athletes don’t receive enough support. Rai highlighted that Noah became outspoken as a way to combat the negativity he faced. With this kind of support, do you think we’ll see a positive shift toward a more supportive and encouraging attitude from American fans? What are your thoughts?