The Noah Lyles vs. NBA controversy is still going on and strong. A few weeks ago in Budapest, the track sensation called out the NBA for referring to its winners as world champions without even participating against the best global basketball teams. He soon faced a lot of trolling on social media with a host of NBA stars taking shots at him. Even Canadian music icon Drake joined in on the troll bandwagon and claimed that Lyles must have thought a great deal about his ‘world champions’ speech, only to find out that the league does not even rate him anymore.

Clapping back at the rapper’s comments, Lyles recently retaliated in an interview and asked the musician to go back home and not get involved in a sporting conversation. Amidst all the controversy, Lyles remains unfazed as he prepares for the upcoming 2023 Diamond League finals and his recent social media post reflects his plans for the upcoming competition.

Noah Lyles promises fireworks at Eugene

Noah Lyles has been in impressive form throughout 2023. He recently became the new 100m world champion in Budapest while successfully defending his 200m world title for the 3rd straight year. To top it all up, Lyles won his third gold medal of the tournament when he anchored the U.S. 4x100m relay team to a win and a world-leading time of 37.38 seconds. After Budapest, Lyles shifted his focus to the Zurich leg of the 2023 Diamond League and once again won the men’s 200m in 19.80 seconds.

Now, as the 2023 Diamond League finals approach, Lyles has once again announced his plans for the tournament. The track star posted on a tweet on X with the caption, “I hope y’all ready for fireworks at @nikepreclassic,” as he referred to the 2023 Prefontaine Classic, which is scheduled for later this week. It is still not confirmed whether the world champion will be competing in both 100m and 200m, but fans will surely be on the lookout for Lyles’ other attempt at the world record.

Read more: After 7 Years of Losing to Usain Bolt’s Record, Noah Lyles Posts the Perfect Finish at World Athletics Championship

American track star’s aim to break the world record

Last year, Noah Lyles set the 3rd fastest men’s 200m time in the world when he ran 19.31 in Eugene. This feat also earned him the American record in the division. Throughout 2023, Noah Lyles has publicly stated that he aims to beat Usain Bolt’s 200m world record of 19.19 seconds.

In fact, before the 2023 World Athletics Championships in August, Lyles had claimed that he aimed to set a new world record in Budapest. However, despite dominating the 200m event in Budapest, Lyles fell short of the world record and his previous best as he stopped the clock in 19.52 seconds.

The 2023 Diamond League finals provide Lyles with another opportunity to take a shot at breaking the world record. As he has already promised fireworks, fans hope that the American track star gets his world record in Eugene, which will set him up perfectly for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.

Watch this story: After Flaunting World Championship Medals, Noah Lyles Gets Back to Hustle Again Ahead of Prefontaine Diamond League