The Paris Olympics season started with Noah Lyles’s roar. The reigning world champion registered an alert by claiming, “For this year (2024) specifically, I want to solidify myself as the world’s fastest man in the 100m…I definitely have the American record in the 100m on my mind and even the world record.” Those words made Usain Bolt and his American arch-rival, Tyson Gay, stand on the same line.

While the Jamaican legend has the world record timing (9.58 seconds) in the men’s 100m event, the American torpedo from Kentucky holds the American record in the same event (9.69 seconds). However, Lyles ultimately failed to align his words and performance. Throughout the year, Noah Lyles showcased an extraordinary form of perfection on the track. Eyeing to clinch the Olympic gold by upsetting the records, he engaged himself in a calculative approach—he minimized his reaction time with the help of biomechanics and chose his events meticulously.

The all-around changes made him the Olympic champion at Stade de France. He even set a record by winning the men’s 100-meter event final and taking first place with the smallest gap between him and the runner-up. But dethroning Bolt and Gay remained far from his reach. However, that does not belittle Noah Lyles’s presence in the current track and field sports realm. Rather, Tyson Gay thinks that Noah Lyles does not feel any pressure coming from the expectations of his fans.

The three-time world champion also lavished admiration on his successor for his abundance of qualities. In the conversation with Asafa Powell and Justin Gatlin, Gay claimed that he had never seen an athlete who could come with so much expertise as Noah did. And by that, he also specified the expertise in the off-court matters as well. So Lyles’s overall presence satisfies him a lot. His eyes glowed with emotion as Tyson remarked, “The guy’s so talented.” But what off-court talents did he mean here?

In his athletic career, Tyson Gay was mostly known for his neck-to-neck fight with Usain Bolt on tracks. In their seven years of track rivalry, the duo met each other four times in the 100m and a whopping eight times in the 200m events. However, in this battle of the giants, the lanky sprinter from the island nation took away the most number of wins in the 100m events (3-1). But in the 200m events, the Kentucky native bit back, taking six victories against Bolt’s two. Remember, in his career, Gay saw an unending spree of injuries. Still, his resume speaks volumes on his supremacy. But was that all? 

As per several updates, Gay showed up in the music videos as a performer. That makes the former sprinter a music artist as well. However, the 42-year-old praised Noah’s rap skills in the podcast with Gatlin and Powell. He also celebrated Lyles’s love for the Lego character. According to the former Diamond League champion, the mixture of all these talents gives Noah the upper hand. Per him, Noah Lyles never feels a lack of confidence because of these talents. However, Gay’s colleague Gatlin had something to say about Noah’s extraordinary talent. 

Noah Lyles has Olympians lined up to praise his ability 

At the Paris Olympics, Noah Lyles ended the drought of Team USA by earning the gold medal in the men’s 100m event. Before him, Justin Gatlin took the laurel in the 2004 Athens Olympics. After that, the American sprinters failed to pose a serious threat to the ownership of the medal. But now, Noah has. So, naturally, the achievement filled Gatlin’s heart with pure joy. But, he has narrated the feeling uniquely. 

In a Ready Set Go podcast episode, Gatlin referred to Noah’s success in the French city as “the clutch point.” Why? Revealing this reason, the four-time world champion pointed at Lyles’s tag. Per him, Noah was not the favorite to win the 100-meter event in Paris. Still, he managed to reach the top riding on his exuberance.

He specifically mentioned, “You knew he had something left in the tank and you still show up to the line and gave it your all, and your all got the job done, bro.” That exemplifies the clutch point, as per Gatlin. Now that Tyson Gay speaks highly of Noah’s raw talent, it’s clear that everything is falling into place for the fastest man in the world.