Great. That’s what Noah Lyles wants to be. And he already knows he needs to achieve two things in order to be great: Win an Olympic gold and break a world record. Now, in less than a month, fate will grant him the chance to achieve both. Hence, the 26-year-old asserted, “He was the fastest man ever to do it, and soon, it’ll be me.” Who was Lyles referring to?

Yes, it was Usain Bolt. The Jamaican is a huge supporter of the American sprinter. On July 1, 2024, NETLIX released a docuseries titled, “SPRINT: The World’s Fastest Humans” which also featured Bolt. The Netflix docuseries, spanning over six episodes, covers the stories of sprinting phenoms like Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shericka Jackson, and others.

Nine minutes into the first episode: ‘HEIR TO THE THRONE’ the Lyles-Bolt world record debate sprung. And viewers were delighted to see Bolt address it. Rooting for the American, Bolt asserted, “Noah Lyles is a great athlete. He is full of energy. He has the crowd… Mentally he is very strong. He believes in himself.”

However, considering his 15-year-long records, Bolt confessed, “But if he breaks the world record, I am not gonna be happy.” This is probably the first time Bolt has expressed his fondness for his record. But that does not stop him from accepting the obvious.

“World records are meant to be broken. I wish him all the best, but its not going to be easy [chuckles],” Bolt added. Notably, he had expressed the same with a similar spirit back in March. “I think the possibility is there because he came close at the (2022) World Championships. I think if he corrects a few things, I won’t say, he could get better. The possibility is there,” Bolt had stated.

Which record are we talking about? Remember Bolt’s 19.19 seconds in 200m at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin? Lyles has been quite vocal about wanting to break this record in Paris.

Interesting Fact: In the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Lyles clocked in at 19.31 seconds in 200m and came extremely close to Bolt’s 19.19.

In 200m, he recently clocked a 19.53 at the trials, narrowly short of his 19.47 from the London Athletics Meet. On that occasion, he also broke Michael Johnson’s meet record of 19.66 in 1996 trials. Interestingly, the docuseries featured Johnson as well.

Johnson stated, “Noah’s the best 200m runner in the world… I believe that it is possible for Noah to win both the 100 and 200. But in order to break the world record, he has to take the crown from the best ever was.” And he seems to be resolutely progressing toward that. Lyles has shown great progression towards his goal. From a 9.95 at Hayward Field in 2021, to a 9.83 in Budapest in 2023, and now again a 9.83 at the 2024 Olympic Trials, he looks in great form. Further, he was also pretty close to Bolt’s 100m timing of 9.58 seconds, and the way things look, he might inch closer.

Will Paris be the stage to satiate Noah Lyles’s hunger?

Noah Lyles is built differently. On several previous occasions, he has asserted that his training is so rigorous that very few can handle that. And that is not just a saying. Toward the end of June, Time magazine observed Lyles running a 120-m practice sprint in 12.4 sec. When his coach, Lawrence Brauman, stopped him from running faster anymore, Lyles said, “My body’s turned on! … I can feel the rust coming out of the legs! These two are going to be faster.”

The next two timings stood at 12.2 and 11.9 sec. Therefore, he rightfully claimed three golds at the 2023 World Championships showing off his iconic three-finger gesture. If he repeats the same in Paris, he will be the first American track-and-field athlete to do that since Carl Lewis, 40 years ago and the first male athlete to do so since Usain Bolt in 2016.

He even intends to take it further by “coming after everything” in the Olympics, meaning thereby four gold medals. The world has yet to see such a spectacle.

He is not just training hard, but also smart. It has become more scientific. He has been working with a biochemist to focus on his start, considered a weak point for him. With guidance from him, Lyles added at least 10 lbs of muscle to his body. It enabled him to get a more suitable angle in the blocks, achieving greater force and higher speeds right from the beginning. If this works together with his blazing speed, indeed, miracles can happen. And the journey started in Budapest.

“I’m not different. I’m still the same Noah. If anything, I’m more hungry than before because I’ve proved to myself that I can do it, so now I’m even more eager to do it for next year,” Noah Lyles had said after his three-peat success last year.

Do you think Noah Lyles will win a gold at the Paris Olympics? Share your thoughts in the comments.