Noah Lyles’ speed has been under the microscope lately—first with Tyreek Hill, now with the infamous IShowSpeed showdown. Earlier this month, Lyles was challenged on a livestream by MrBeast, who promised a cool $100,000 to anyone who could outrun him in a 50mdash. With the cash prize and bragging rights on the line, IShowSpeed, after a bit of hesitation, accepted the challenge, and the race was on. Despite a strong start and a lead for Speed in the early stages, Lyles quickly closed the gap and powered through to win, leaving Speed trailing behind, but not without a bold claim that the race was a “tie.”

Of course, Speed wasn’t going down without a fight, insisting he was still “the fastest man alive” and even arguing that a shorter race would have been his victory. Lyles, however, wasn’t having it, pointing to the clear video evidence from the race. And now, with this showdown behind him, Noah Lyles has earned some serious respect, as track and field legends are praising his composure and speed after edging out the social media star.

In a recent episode of Ready Set Go, co-host Justin Gatlin shared some insightful thoughts on Noah Lyles’ race with IShowSpeed. Gatlin highlighted how the spectacle wasn’t just about the race—it was about the audience. He pointed out that “the people he raced against—Speedy has millions of followers, same thing with the referee Mr. Beast, millions of followers,” showing how the whole event was magnified by the massive social media presence of those involved.

For Noah Lyles, this race wasn’t only a victory in speed; as Gatlin put it, “not only does he still secure that he’s the fastest man in the world,” but he’s also gained “traction” in a whole new realm. Lyles’ race transcended the track, bringing attention to the sport from an entirely different crowd, thanks to the social media giants surrounding him.

The stakes went far beyond just winning the race; for Noah Lyles, it was an opportunity to reach a wider audience and cement his place as a legend, not only in athletics but in pop culture too. With MrBeast boasting over 61 million followers on Instagram and a staggering 330 million YouTube subscribers, and IShowSpeed bringing in nearly 27 million followers on Instagram and over 33 million YouTube subscribers, Lyles’ own 1.5 million Instagram followers seemed just a fraction of the massive reach these influencers have.

As Gatlin emphasized, this event wasn’t just a race—it was a moment that carried the potential to shift the landscape of track and field. However, that doesn’t mean track and field legends were entirely thrilled with Noah Lyles’ performance.

Noah Lyles’ speed raises concern

Yep, you heard that right! While Justin Gatlin is all in on praising Noah Lyles for his iconic qualities, he didn’t hold back when discussing this race. On his Ready Set Go podcast, alongside co-host Rodney Green, Gatlin always dives into recent track events or updates in the world of athletics. With the off-season in full swing and no professional races on the calendar, these friendly sprints offer fans a little taste of track action, keeping the excitement alive while waiting for the real deals to return.

Gatlin was definitely impressed by IShowSpeed’s confidence, acknowledging that racing against an Olympic champ is no easy feat. But true to his nature, Speed didn’t shy away from the challenge. In fact, Gatlin jokingly linked the YouTuber’s name to his raw speed, saying, “Listen man, it says in his name. His name is Speedy. So you got a little foot speed to him, he has to, at the end of the day.” Even with that speed, though, Gatlin made sure to point out that there’s a bit more to the story.

As much as people were buzzing about the race, Gatlin made a critical point about Lyles’ performance. He emphasized, “Noah is, this is November. Noah is in no shape whatsoever. He’s not in speed and dirt in shape. He’s not in speed shape. That’s just his raw wake-up, not in-shape speed right there, and that’s what he gave.” Athletes, especially during the off-season, rarely push themselves as hard as they would during peak competition periods. So according to Gatlin, Speed got a bit of a lucky break—if Lyles had been in his best shape, the race outcome would’ve likely looked a lot different.