“I must say. It’s not going to be easy. I feel like Noah feels like it’s easy running both events. It was never easy,” Usain Bolt told Citius Mag when asked about young sprinters like Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton, and Letsile Tebogo challenging his world records. “I’ve said it and I’ve always said that it’s not easy running back-to-back events,” he added. Noah Lyles, achieved the fastest man status after his win in 200m, with an impressive world lead of 19.53s, but compared to the veteran Bolt, he’s still the new kid on the block. 

Bolt shared his thoughts on how track and field nowadays is much easier than in his “era.” Can Noah Lyles back up his bold statements about surpassing Usain Bolt? How are Bolt’s fans responding to Lyles’ audacious claims? The track world is buzzing with excitement and controversy as Lyles’ confidence challenges the legacy of the sprinting legend.

Usain Bolt is unbothered by Noah Lyles’ challenges

Recently in an X post, Sevillians Ontop shared a clip from Usain Bolt’s interview with the Obi One, where he discussed how he feels about Noah Lyles claiming he can beat Bolt. Usain Bolt explained how many people have come forward.to challenge his records, “Even now like I see like Noah Lyles and I’m like yo I wish he was in my ear,” to show him his place and bring his exaggerated claims down a few notches. During Usain Bolt’s time, it was a tough competition with Yohan Blake and Justin Gatlin still active. 

However now, Noah Lyles is more or less the king of the track with Fred Kerley not being in top form despite his Olympic qualification this year and Christian Coleman who did not make it to the Olympics at all. Noah Lyles has often spoken about his wish to surpass Bolt’s 200m record which was set at 19.19s in the 2009 world championships. Bolt wants 4 Olympic medals this time. Why? In his own words, “There have been multiple doubles, not a lot, but there have been plenty. I can grab three but Bolt has done that. I can do two Olympics in a row, but Bolt has done that too.”

However, he is yet to do well on that promise and it is unlikely since he hasn’t qualified for four events in the first place. Additionally, Bolt has proved himself again and again on the track. In 2009, Bolt set the 100m record with a time of 9.58s. He was also part of the 4x100m relay team during the London Olympics in 2012, where the team set a record time of 36.84s. Bolt has a total of 8 Olympic gold medals, won across three consecutive Olympics between 2008 and 2016, in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay events. He won the 100m and 200m at all three Olympics, making it the world’s first “triple triple.” This has earned him a huge track and field fanbase that is always ready to point out his merits.

Usain Bolt’s fans echo his sentiments on Noah Lyles’ claims

Usain Bolt has cemented his reputation as the best track and field athlete in the world. He is the face of the game. So naturally fans are protective of him. One fan expressed disdain for Noah Lyles’ claims of breaking Bolt’s records, noting that they don’t compete in the same conditions. They wish Bolt would come out of retirement to silence Lyles’ noise and stated, “If he was around through Bolt’s prime he would be humbled very quickly. If Bolt was in a position to come out of retirement and shut him up now that would be quite something.”

Another fan also mentioned how Lyles would not have reached this level of success if he had raced back in the day. They backed this up by making sprinters who have faster personal bests and competed together writing, “Noah would be a nonfactor back then in the 100. Too many legends . Bolt, Blake, Gaye, Gatlin , Powell .. were all faster and they all competed in the same era”.

Next fan pointed out how despite facing a severe setback, Bolt still managed to set two whole world records in 2009. They praised this level of dedication and grit, commending Usain Bolt on this feat by writing, “In that interview Bolt stated that he missed 2 months of training in 09 because of his crash. Unreal.”

During the Racers Grand Prix in 2023, Noah Lyles won the 200m with a time of 19.67 seconds. At that time, Bolt had embraced him and advised him to keep his same attitude, emphasizing that the sport needs personality. One fan recalled this event and wrote, “well Usain, if we being honest, he acting this way because of what you told him at racers grand prix in 2023!”

Though this is not a full-blown feud, Noah Lyles must perform exceptionally well this Olympic season to silence his critics. With Usain Bolt’s legacy and high fan expectations, Noah Lyles faces the challenge of proving his bold claims on the biggest stage.