Noah Lyles has been making ripples in the track and field realm for a long time. Making a lofty claim about winning 4 gold medals in Paris, Lyles was in the headlines right from the word go. However, a one-way fight is often a boring prospect for the fans to watch. Luckily, this time around, a certain Kishane Thompson was around to spice up things on the track with the US sprinting sensation.

Leading up to the Paris Olympics, both Kishane Thompson and Noah Lyles were hyped as the favorites to win the gold. And with that, the age-old rivalry between the US and Jamaica was fueled once again. In fact, coming to Paris, there were a lot of question marks over Noah Lyles’ form. Despite clocking an impressive 9.83s to clinch the top spot at the US Olympic trials, his timings were termed as ‘slow’. However, on D-day, Lyles proved everyone wrong and showed the world who the real boss of track and field in Paris was. But his arch-rival, Kishane Thompson, might have had a big role to play in fueling Lyles’ inner champion. 

So what happened? Appearing in an episode of ‘Beyond The Records’ podcast uploaded on YouTube on January 16, 2025, Lyles doubled down on a surprising story. He stated that Thompson’s power up roar instigated Lyles to bring on his full energy and own the race. The Olympic 100m gold medalist stated, “…he usually comes out and gives you Dragon Ball Z power-up roar. And he did it before I came out. I was like ‘Oh oh! It’s going to be like that? Okay, cool cool cool cool’.” 

Taking this as a challenge, Lyles remembered what his coach, Lance Brauman, had said to him before the race. His coach urged him to yell at the crowd and get them hyped up with full energy. Surely, the US sprint phenom passed in flying colors with his antics. Jumping up and down with full energy, Lyles ran to the crowd and soaked in the atmosphere. “Why stay back there when you have this amazing energy right here?” opined Lyles. And this is exactly when Rai Benjamin knew magic was coming. He expressed his mindset on the podcast watching Lyles get all pumped up saying, “He like jumped around and they started cheering. I was like yeah, that’s bad, it’s over man, it’s done. Like he’s just give him the medal now, man.”

And all these mannerisms worked wonders for the Lyles. Going full blast, Lyles reached the finish line in an identical timing of 9.79s with Kishane Thompson. However, it was the American who had the last laugh as he was declared the winner by photo finish. Now, having won the gold medal, Lyles has made several big claims. One of them being owning the ‘Fastest Man On The World’ title. And this put him in a bit of hot water.

Noah Lyles ducks Usain Bolt comparisons after receiving backlash

Back on December 20, 2024, MrBeast appeared on the second episode of ‘Beyond The Records’ podcast. Speaking on the show, MrBeast termed Lyles as the ‘world’s fastest man.’ Immediately, the Olympic gold medal medalist embraced the title and also gave a detailed clarification for the same. Lyles stated, “I am the fastest, world’s fastest man.” The 100m gold medalist further added, “You get it with the title of, you know, being the Olympic champion.” 

However, things immediately got salty as Lyles was called out by fans. For them, the actual owner of the title was the Jamaican legend, Usain Bolt. After all, his 9.58s time in the 100m and 19.19s in the 200m set in 2009 still stands tall. Anticipating a backlash, Lyles immediately ducked his claim as he told MrBeast in the same interview, “Technically, the world’s fastest man and the fastest man alive is Usain Bolt.” The US sprint phenom also heaped praises on the track and field legend in a different interview saying, “He’s not just fast; he’s untouchable.”

Thus, with Noah Lyles enjoying the cream at the moment, it will be important for him to keep up the winning momentum. For all his opponents are waiting eagerly to derail his upcoming season and pour cold waters on his sweet taste of Olympic victory.