U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles has expressed his readiness to take on NFL star Tyreek Hill in a 60- or 100-meter track race after being challenged by the Miami Dolphins player.
The challenge comes after Hill criticized Lyles for his performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the sprinter finished third in the men’s 200-meter final. Hill dismissed Lyles’ explanation of testing positive for COVID-19 after the race, calling it an excuse.
“Noah Lyles can’t say anything after what just happened to him. He came out and pretended like he’s sick. I feel like that’s horseradish,” Hill said during an interview on the “Up and Adams” show.
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Hill also took issue with Lyles’ earlier comments about NFL players not being “world champions” in their sport. “Come on, bruh, just speak on what you know about, and that’s track. I would beat Noah Lyles in a race. I wouldn’t beat him by a lot, but I’d beat Noah Lyles. And guess what? When I beat him, I’ll put on a COVID mask to let him know I mean business,” Hill added.
In response, Lyles fired back, labeling Hill as a “clout chaser” and asserting his readiness to race. As the reigning world champion in the men’s 100 meters, Lyles dismissed Hill’s challenge as an attention-seeking move.
“Tyreek is just chasing clout. Anytime somebody fast comes up, he says he wants to race them. If he really wanted to race, he would’ve shown up like DK Metcalf. The man raced in the 60 meters this year in the master’s division. He dodges the real competition. I don’t have time for that,” Lyles said on the Nightcap Show.
Lyles further emphasized his willingness to race Hill, saying, “He’s challenging me in a 100? We can race. If he’s serious about it, not just talking on the internet, if he’s really serious, he’ll see me on the track.”
Hill responded with a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), doubling down on his challenge: “Sign the contract and lock in that 50-yard race.”
Sign the contract and lock in that 50 yard race …. https://t.co/b2I0QXojvU
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) August 18, 2024
The back-and-forth between these two athletes has ignited excitement on social media, with fans eager to see if Hill, known as one of the fastest players in the NFL, can actually outpace the world champion sprinter. Hill’s confidence isn’t unfounded, as he clocked a 6.70-second finish in the 60 meters at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships.
While both camps seem ready for the race, Lyles, as the reigning 100-meter champion, appears to be the favorite in this highly anticipated showdown.
The exchanges from these two sportsmen have triggered a massive response on social media, with many fans looking forward to the possible race to see if Hill has what it takes to beat Lyles.
Hill’s determination to win is however far from baseless, as he is one of the fastest NFL players with a 6.70s finish in the 60m events, competing in the USA track and field Indoor Championships.
The camp of these two look set for the race, yet being 100m champion, Lyles looks the favorite to walk away with this one in their feud, but will be fully aware of the threat Hill poses as well.
