Noah Lyles Remains Undaunted by “Cute” Zharnel Hughes, Who Left Top American Sprinters in the Dust

The confidence and zeal the three-peater Noah Lyles shows is highly unmatched! With only 69 days to go, Noah Lyles is looking to make every opportunity count, hoping to gain momentum to clinch golden glory on the biggest stage in Paris. The upcoming Atlanta City Games present the perfect occasion for the five-time Diamond League winner to send his opponents on high alert, and he has a few words to spare for his British foe.

Zharnel Hughes stunned the world at the recently concluded Jamaica Invitational where he subdued both Fred Kerley and Christian Coleman on his way to earn the top of the podium in the men’s 200m dash. However, Noah doesn’t seem to be fazed by the Brit’s achievement.

Noah Lyles will run the men’s 150m event at the Atlanta Games, the last event of May 18. There, he will face off against Hughes and brother Josephus in a bid to bolster his claim for a spot in Team USA, which will head to Paris in July. Ahead of the meet, Lyles appeared in a pre-show interview, which was uploaded on YouTube through his official channel. There, Lyles made his views about Zharnel clear.

When one of the hosts asked what the Olympic medalist thinks of the World Championships silver medalist Hughes, Noah confessed with a smile, “He’s cute.” While the others immediately pointed out that the British interview host might have some bias toward his country’s representative at the Altalanta Games, Lyles seemed to think some biases aren’t too bad to have.

It’s only a few more hours before the two lock horns on the tracks in an attempt to assert their dominance over one another. But the good thing is, Lyles is bustling with confidence.

Noah Lyles’ boastful claims

In the same interview, Noah also claimed that he views himself as unchallenged in the 200m event. With that in mind, his appearance in the 150 just might be a walk in the park after his dominant display at the recently concluded Bahamas Relays. Aided by Kenny Bednarek, Courtney Lindsey, and Kyree King, Lyles anchored the men’s 4x100m event to secure a gold medal in Nassau earlier this month. And yet, Bednarek looks to become Noah’s biggest competitor in the 200m event, after the former scooped the world lead at the Doha Diamond League. However, Lyles remains unfazed.

Only days ago, the Olympic medalist sent out a message to his national teammate, hinting that come the Olympics, Bednarek will have to cede ground and see Lyles pick up the first-place finish at the men’s 200m race. On the other hand, with Fred Kerley claiming to make his next 100m race a record-making one, Noah will also have another obstacle to jump over if he wishes to fulfill the dream of bagging gold medals in every event he participates in.

However, for the time being, all eyes turn to Atlanta to see if Lyles can back up his big words with a dazzling performance on the track and overcoming the immediate challenge of Zharnel Hughes.