American sprinter Noah Lyles competed in his first major event since the 2024 Paris Olympics, running the 60-meter race at Sunday’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.
Lyles blazed his way to a win and took a shot at Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill in a written message to the cameras, that came via a piece of paper Lyles had taped to his back.
‘Tyreek could never,’ the note read.
Lyles’ message is the latest in a line of barbs traded by the two star athletes. Their dialogue began after Hill opined he would beat the 100-meter gold medalist in a head-to-head race in an August appearance on FanDuel TV’s ‘Up and Adams.’
‘I’m not going to beat him by a lot, but I would beat Noah Lyles,’ Hill told Kay Adams.
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Naturally, that — along with Hill’s assertion that Lyles pretended he was sick after he won the bronze in the 200 meters while battling COVID at the Olympics — didn’t sit well with Lyles. He appeared on the ‘Nightcap’ podcast with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco shortly after Hill’s comments and called out the veteran receiver for ‘chasing clout.’
‘Tyreek is just chasing clout,’ Lyles said. ‘Anytime somebody fast comes up, he says he wants to race them. If he really wanted to race people, he would’ve showed up, like DK Metcalf. The man raced in the 60m this year in the Masters division.’
‘The man dodges smoke,’ Lyles added of Hill. ‘I don’t have time for that. If he’s truly serious about it — I’m not talking about you just talking on the internet and you ain’t actually coming to me and talking to my agent and saying let’s set something up — if you’re seriously about it, you’ll see me on the track.’
Hill evidently was serious about his interest. In September, Lyles revealed the two parties were ‘in conversations’ to race one another. A deal was reportedly reached in October, though no race date was announced.
As such, Lyles’ message could have been planned in the hopes of building tension ahead of that event. It could also be a sign the rivalry between the two speedsters is legitimate.
Either way, Lyles would have the advantage if the two square off in the 60-meter race, which is equivalent to about a 65-yard dash. Lyles’ personal best in the event is 6.43 seconds at the 2024 USA Track and Field Indoor Championships, and he clocked a 6.52 in it at Sunday’s race.
Hill, meanwhile, last ran the 60-meter race at the 2023 USATF Masters Indoor Championships, completing it in 6.70 seconds.
Noah Lyles 100m time
For those wondering, Lyles’ best time in the 100m came at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He clocked a 9.79 in the race as he won his first-ever Olympic gold medal.
Tyreek Hill 40 time
Hill ran the 40-yard dash — the NFL’s most popular measure of straight-line speed — in 4.29 seconds. His best time in the 100 meters came in 2013, when he ran a wind-assisted 9.98 at the NJCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He was just 0.02 seconds slower than the winner of the event, Canadian Olympic gold medalist Andre De Grasse.