“Big time!” A growing rivalry is drawing interest from fans all across the world in the run-up to the Olympics in Paris. Young buck Kishane Thompson of Jamaica presents a serious threat to the current World 100-meter champion, Noah Lyles. The recent performances of Thompson one ups Lyles timings with a whopping 9.82 respectively. While Lyles himself scored a respective 9.83 secs in the trials rather effortlessly, American sprinting star Justin Gatlin has advised Lyles to proceed with caution, and for good reason.

Thompson’s scorching 9.82 will be a challenge for Lyles, wherein the latter isn’t even in the top three sprinters globally. Thompson will be looking to ruffle up some feathers for the gold, having set the bar higher during the Jamaican trials. It appears from Gatlin’s observations that Lyles will have to step up the pace considerably to take the podium.

When talking about the consequences of Thompson’s outcomes for Lyles, Justin Gatlin did not hold back in a recent episode of the “Ready Set Go” podcast. “This is going to take Noah everything in his body to go out there and PR big,” observed Gatlin. “9.82 is not gonna cut it. Even 9.80 is not gonna cut it. He’s gonna have to hit a 9.7 to show that he’s here and you are not going to lay down for anybody to win this Olympic gold in the 100.”

Gatlin’s remarks highlight how much pressure Lyles is under. The 26-year-old sprinter, who qualified for the Olympics in the 200m as well, has to conquer both his personal weaknesses and give his rivals a run for their money. Plausible much? That’s debatable as Justin Gatlin added, “He is going to have to up his game, meaning Noah, big time.” However, Thompson’s success has become the gold standard, but Lyles is ‘Oh, okay’ considering his current status.

Additionally, Justin Gatlin knows that the uphill battle of the 200m for Noah Lyles in Paris is a “little easier.” But considering the Jamaican-USA rivalry, now “100 is now probably his biggest mountain to climb when it comes to obtaining Olympic gold, for sure,” notes Gatlin. However, Justin Gatlin stressed that Lyles must score on par with or better than Thompson’s current level to get the gold in his kitty.

What Achilles Heel does Noah Lyles have ahead of the Paris Olympics?

Beyond Thompson’s direct barrier, Gatlin saw that Lyles’ racing plan needed to be strengthened in one important area: his start. Lyles, much akin to sprinting greats like Usain Bolt and Carl Lewis, have a tendency to be slow off the starting blocks notwithstanding their domination. “If he works on his start, he can go into the next season comfortable with it,” said Gatlin. However, Lyles’ success has been marked by his capacity to gather speed as the race progresses, especially in the 200m. But every millisecond matters in the fiercely competitive 100-meter event. “It will definitely be a tall order for him to be able to run people down,” Gatlin continued. “9.8s do not run 9.7s and so on and so forth.”

As an element of one’s race strategy, Gatlin underlined the significance of accepting and dealing with these flaws. Lyles’ performance in the World Indoor Championships this March, where he placed second in the 60-meter final, is pointed out as being vital. Noah Lyles has improved his times overall by making incremental improvements in the 100m by racing in shorter events.

Moreover, his approach to participating in 60-meter races, where he has “nothing to lose,” according to Gatlin, has increased Lyles’ confidence. Also, this enabled him to carry his improvements over to the outdoor 100-meter event. “If you are able to get out with the field and you are already catching up with them at 70 meters, if you go out with them, that is less work that you have to do between 60 and 70 meters going into the finish line, it makes it easier for you. Bolt did it,” Gatlin added. Thus, the stakes for Noah Lyles are bigger than ever, as the Olympics will be his ultimate litmus test. What’s your take on the above story? Tell us in the comments below!