Since his Paris Olympics victory, Noah Lyles has been challenged by numerous individuals for a 60-meter dash. The most notable of these has been his back-and-forth with Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill, who had claimed that he was faster than the Olympic gold medalist. While that race still seems to be in the works, Noah decided to take on another contender: Twitch sensation IShowSpeed.

Known for his impressive athleticism and dominance over fellow internet personalities like KSI, Speed has never faced anyone quite like Lyles—the fastest man in the 100m. But that didn’t stop him from throwing down the gauntlet. On November 6th, Speed and Lyles went head-to-head in a 50-meter sprint, with $100,000 at stake thanks to MrBeast, live-streamed on Speed’s YouTube channel. Predictably, Lyles took the win, but Speed didn’t make it easy. Fans couldn’t help but notice how close he came to keeping pace with the gold medalist—a serious feat for a streamer.

Now, Speed’s confidence is dialed up even higher. “I’m not about to say no names, but all these people who are professionals… whatever they’re professionals at… they are scared to race me. I’m calling everybody and anybody out,” he declared on his livestream. Then he doubled down on his challenge to Lyles, adding, “That even goes out to Noah, chat. That’s the reason Noah didn’t even want to race me again. If Noah would have raced me again, he knows he would have lost. He wasn’t tired. He wasn’t tired at all. I promise you, everybody is scared to race me.”

It’s clear the 19-year-old is as confident as ever! In fact, in August Speed even turned up at a Miami Dolphins training session, hoping to race Tyreek Hill. But apparently, Hill wasn’t up for it. Now, fans are split—was Speed actually close to taking down Lyles, and could he really compete against pros?

But the track community? They’re not buying it. Many believe Noah Lyles barely broke a sweat, and some fans even thought he was practically jogging by the time he crossed the finish line. Lyles seemed to confirm this theory by showboating a bit at the end, jumping over the line with a grin. IShowSpeed was convinced he’d won, while Lyles chuckled and disagreed. They both checked the footage, but even then, opinions stayed split. Lyles admitted; he looked at him and jumped with a shrug.

Speed insisted he would’ve won if it had been a 40-meter race, boldly throwing down a rematch challenge. While Lyles didn’t seem too keen, he offered Speed a training invite: “You should practice with me and then at the end of the week, we’ll race again,” Lyles told IShowSpeed. “You’ll be faster, you’ll know what to do, you’ll have the techniques, you’ll have the advantage. Then we can run the real man’s race, the 100.”

And while Speed held his own, the track pros are quick to remind everyone that tiny margins—like a mere second—are everything in this sport. Just look at Lyles’ photo-finish victory in the 100m finals at the Paris Olympics! So, most of the track community isn’t exactly taking Speed’s race too seriously. Three-time Olympic medalist Gabby Thomas added her own take, quipping, “This wasn’t close… like at all.” Still, there’s a lively debate among fans, with some praising Speed’s athleticism, while others are firmly team ‘Nice Try.’

Track and field fans sprint to Noah Lyles’ corner after IShowSpeed’s big talk

Many fans are convinced that Noah Lyles wasn’t exactly breaking a sweat in his 50-meter dash against IShowSpeed. “That is cap; Noah was clearly not trying 💀,” said one fan, and honestly, it’s hard to argue. The race started with both competitors giving it their all, but halfway through, Lyles pulled ahead and seemed to start coasting. His strides became more playful, almost like he was jogging to the finish line.

IShowSpeed, ever the confident challenger, claimed he had “raw speed” and that he was faster than Lyles despite never running track before. Lyles, on the other hand, said he wasn’t even hitting top speed. “You tapped out with 30 meters to go,” Lyles mocked, adding, “I was looking at you, bruh. Because I had that time, you know?” 

This exchange made the race look closer than it really was, leading some fans to wish Noah had gone full throttle: “Oh, ffs, now I wish Noah had taken it seriously and made it abundantly clear how much faster he is.” Another fan added, “Speed cannot beat a single professional sprinter to 60 m.”

Of course, Noah Lyles is still arguably the fastest man on Earth. He’s an Olympic champion, a six-time World champion, and the owner of the American 200m record (19.31 seconds). In short, he’s the real deal. So, for Speed to even come close? That’s an impressive feat, especially since the streamer’s never had any formal training. “Ngl bro is a menace for being that fast without proper training,” said one fan.

Now, people are talking about Speed’s next move. Some fans are already thinking bigger. “Speed vs. Bolt would be a fair fight now 😉. Challenge Bolt for a race!” Back in his prime, suggesting anyone could beat Usain Bolt was laughable. The man still holds the 100m world record (9.58 seconds) and 200m world record (19.19 seconds)—records that have stood for over a decade.

But with Bolt’s retirement, who knows? Maybe Speed could make things interesting. A race against Bolt? Track fans everywhere would be all in. For now, though, the debate rages on: did Noah Lyles take the race seriously or not?