Noah Lyles’ outspoken nature is no secret to the track and field community. In the second season of Sprint, the 27-year-old expressed his desire to be the face of track and field. Thanks to that desire coupled with his eccentric personality, Lyles makes tall claims and often resorts to showboating during races. And while has backed up his words many times, not everyone is a fan.

Shortly after winning the 200m Olympic event in a massive update, Letsile Tebogo took a not-so-subtle dig at the American. “I think for me, I can’t be the face of athletics because I’m not an arrogant or a loud person like Noah,” Tebogo said during the post-race interview. However, in Sprint Season 2, the 100m Olympic champion’s U.S. rival said something similar.

Christian Coleman echoes Letsile Tebogo’s sentiment

In the first episode of Sprint Part 2, the docu-series turns its attention to Christian Coleman and Lyles’ longtime rivalry. The track and field icons have competed against one another since 2019. Since Lyles came out victorious at their first clash in the 2019 Shanghai Diamond League by six-thousands of a second, the pair have traded blows on the national and international stage.

So by the time Netflix started filming Sprint, the Noah Lyles x Christian Coleman rivalry had reached a fever pitch. “I’ve been going over for a long time and competed over the years. Honestly, I try not to buy into or feed into, like other people’s antics and everything like that. Just not really me. I’m not that type of guy,” Coleman said in episode one: All American.

Coleman called out Lyles for antics such as hopping onto the tracks at Stade de France and hyping up the crowd even before the race. The statement also highlighted the similarity of his and the 200m gold medalists’ mentality of letting their performances do the talking. However, the 27-year-old world champion explained how he stepped into Christian Coleman’s world.

When he decided to challenge the 60m world record holder in the 100m and 60m disciplines. “I came more to his playground more than he came to mine,” said Lyles. “His event was mainly the 100. Mine was the 200. I wouldn’t say we’re friends,” explained Lyles. However, just because they’re arch-rivals doesn’t mean the sprinters have respect for one another.

How Noah Lyles’s rivalry with Christian Coleman has helped the Olympian thrive

While many experts credit the 27-year-old as one of the greatest finishers competing today, they pointed at Lyles’ starts being a weakness. However, the defending world champion’s starts may have been much worse if it wasn’t for Coleman. During their five-year rivalry, Lyles and Coleman have rarely praised one another, but this has happened before.

Shortly after besting the world record holder at the 2022 USATF Indoor Championships, Lyles showered praise on his rival. “I come out here every year, trying to get faster and faster… And, to be honest, if I hadn’t faced Christian so many times, I couldn’t boost my confidence enough to say, I’m ready to come out here and take on everybody,” said Noah Lyles.

Lyles once again started the season on a high note, defeating Coleman at the 60m at the Albuquerque Convention Center in February. The 28-year-old showed respect to his rival. “Oh man, of course, you know you don’t like to lose at all, but it’s always respect and love,” said the track and field icon. The Georgia native also lived up to his words of not being boastful.

Coleman couldn’t qualify for either the 100m or 200m race during the Olympic Trails in June, while Lyles reigned supreme. However, Christian Coleman took his losses humbly. “Humbled and grateful, God chose me for this path, and I promise to see it through. The love and support has been felt and is much appreciated,” he posted on social media.

How do you feel about the Coleman x Lyles rivalry? Tell us in the comments.