Grant Holloway Claims Noah Lyles Would Have Lost to Kishane Thompson if Not for Surprising Reason

“I think it’s going to be a really good race tonight. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m really looking forward to seeing Kishane Thompson on this stage, and how he’ll match up with Noah [Lyles]. I hope for a close one,” 7x Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix had said ahead of the Men’s 100m final in Paris. Well, Felix’s wish was more than fulfilled. So close the race was that it needed a thorough review of the photo finish images to declare the winner.

The point is, if it were a 99-meter race, Kishane would have been the clear winner. But in the penultimate moments, Noah expertly timed his forward lean at the finish line. His upper body stretched across just ahead of Thompson, which sealed the win. He ripped his bib from his shirt and held it up with his red, white, and blue varnished fingernails, announcing his Olympic win. It must have been extra sweet for Noah because of the field of athletes he competed. Each of them had the caliber to stand atop the podium. Noah had admitted that.

“It’s the one I wanted, it’s the hard battle, it’s the amazing opponents. I didn’t do this against a slow field – I did this against the best of the best, on the biggest stage, with the biggest pressure,” Noah had said. Right he was. It was the first time eight men had broken 10 seconds in a wind-legal 100-meter race. Looking at these, don’t you feel like only skill might not have won Noah the gold? Ask 100m Olympic champion in Paris, Grant Holloway.

Recently on YouTube, Noah Lyles, Rai Benjamin, and Holloway starred in their new podcast, Beyond The Records. The three Olympians had a lot of tales to tell, covering the whole 2024 track and field season. However, Holloway acknowledged the significant influence of luck in the sport. He clarified that while the athletes’ training efforts undoubtedly contribute to their performances, fate also plays a significant role in these events. And he picked the 100m final as the instance.

“I would say we all had luck on our side, especially this dude over here,” pointing all of his fingers towards Lyles, continuing with a question, “If he didn’t believe in luck, hey, that 0.000005? Oh damn, I actually got it right?” To which the 100m Olympic champion replied, stating, “I think it’s 0.005.”

Lyles just smiled away while correcting his fellow American hurdler, as he knew how close he was when he grabbed his career-first Olympic gold medal. The race wasn’t easy. Despite the intense pressure, he thrived, ultimately defeating Thompson, his primary rival in the competition. Furthermore, Holloway stressed the luck factor, stating, “Oh okay well yes anyway but that’s what I’m trying to say though it’s like we train to be prepared and then obviously it’s like nobody in that race wants to lose right so we all get there and we got to do what we got to do.”

Holloway pointed out that every single athlete on that 100m grid was competitive enough to win the race. However, the course of events inadvertently led to Lyles winning the gold medal and becoming the Olympic champion. In fact, Noah had revealed later that he initially thought Kishane had won.

“I did not think I won, I didn’t think I dipped at the right time, too early. I even went up to Kishane while we were waiting and said ‘I think you got that one.’ But then my name popped up and I thought ‘oh my gosh, I’m amazing’,” Noah had said. Noah was right. It was basically their positioning that made all the difference. Kishane also pointed to that.

“I am a bit disappointed, but I am happy at the same time. I wasn’t patient enough with myself to let my speed bring me at the line in the position that I know I could have gone to,” he had said. Undoubtedly, the Paris Olympics might have concluded a while back, but the discussions around this race will indeed continue to persist for a long time. However, the 200m race also had its own twist that came to the fore after Noah missed gold in that. He declared that he was suffering from COVID. Just days back he once again brought that up.

Noah Lyles’ rant against Team USA

Noah Lyles is known for his uplifting personality, but when it comes to addressing issues, he doesn’t shy away from calling out the ones responsible for any kind of incident. This time, on the Beyond The Records Podcast with Rai Benjamin and Grant Holloway, he emphasized the escalating rumors following his announcement that he tested positive for COVID after the 200m finals, which also led to him securing the bronze medal rather than the gold.

Despite numerous rumors and unfavorable remarks from the critics, the athlete believes that if Team USA had intervened in the community conversation, the situation would have been more balanced. “So I posted my negative test, and I think the real thing that messed up was that Team USA didn’t put out a statement, saying that we tested Noah. He tested positive, and that he didn’t, you know, we made sure that he was in a controlled environment, and we made sure we followed the laws. Like there was no message from that. I’m like, ‘Wow, this is the moment where you guys come to defend your athlete,'” said Lyles.

Lyles was disappointed with the way Team USA reacted to the situation and didn’t bother to issue any official statement regarding his COVID-19 diagnosis. He also doesn’t blame the community for criticizing him, because he is aware of his potential, and he acknowledged that if he was on excellent terms with his health, there was nothing that could’ve stopped him from grabbing that potential second Olympic gold medal of his career.

But now it’s in the past, as he is determined for a strong 2025 season, which is set to start in a few weeks. What can we expect from Lyles in 2025? Let us know in the comment section below!