Running News Daily

Noah Lyles commits to race NFL star Tyreek Hill

After months of trash talk between Olympic and world 100m champion Noah Lyles and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill about who would win in a 100m race, the debate will finally be settled. According to a report in Ad Age, both athletes have committed to a race organized by actor and America’s Got Talent host Terry Crews.

The competition will be part of “Super Serious on Sight”–an elimination-style tournament between Olympic runners and pro athletes co-founded by Crews. Super Serious did not reveal the date of the high-profile race, but it would presumably be after the 2024 NFL season and before the 2025 summer track season .

“I wouldn’t beat him by a lot, but I would beat Noah Lyles,” the NFL player said after the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 30-year-old is known for being one of the fastest players in pro football and comes from a track and field background. Hill represented Team USA at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona, winning gold in the men’s 4x100m relay and bronze in the 200m, with a personal best of 20.54 seconds.

In response, during an interview with NBC Sports, Lyles said he didn’t know who Hill was, referring to him only by his nickname, “Cheetah.”

“What’s the Cheetah guy from football, what’s his name? I can’t remember his name,” Lyles said. “What’s the football player who thinks he’s fast name?”

Lyles has a history of being overconfident while mocking other athletes–the 27-year-old also pretended he didn’t know who Team Canada was (in the men’s 4x100m relay) ahead of the Paris Olympics, where Canada brought home gold.

Lyles announces engagement to Junelle Bromfield

In other Noah Lyles news, on Sunday, the 27-year-old announced his engagement to fellow Olympic sprinter Junelle Bromfield. The celebrated sprinter went all out with the setup–posts on social media showed a rose-petal-covered walkway, with friends and family in attendance. In his post, Lyles wrote “To My Future Wife I Will Love You Forever.”

The walkway was surrounded by bouquets of flowers and sparklers, and led to a heart-shaped sign lit with the words “Will you marry me?” The popular couple’s posts on social media have received overwhelming support and congratulatory messages from fellow international track sensations.

The pair has been dating for two years after meeting through social media, and share a passion for track. Lyles, who is known for his bold personality, holds Olympic gold in the 100m and two bronze medals in the 200m. Bromfield, 26, won a bronze medal for Team Jamaica at Tokyo 2020 in the 4x400m relay.

'What has he done to deserve it?' - Why Noah Lyles will not put up his Olympic gold medal in prospective challenge against Tyreek Hill

Lyles has dismissed the idea of betting on his gold medals as well as Hill's NFL rings, citing he is "not interested" as the war of words between the two over who is faster continue.

American sprint sensation Noah Lyles has firmly declined the idea of using his Olympic gold medal as a wager in a potential race against NFL star Tyreek Hill.

 Lyles, who recently clinched the gold in the 100 meters at the Paris Olympics, is open to racing Hill, but only on his terms—over the 100-meter distance, widely recognized as the definitive race for determining the fastest man on the planet.

The public feud between Lyles and Hill began after the Miami Dolphins wide receiver took aim at Lyles over comments he made in 2023, criticizing American sports leagues for referring to their champions as "world champions."

Hill, in an interview with Kay Adams, was quick to dismiss Lyles’ opinion, especially after the sprinter’s bronze medal finish in the 200 meters, where he tested positive for COVID-19 after the race.

“Noah Lyles can’t say nothing after what just happened to him,” Hill said during the podcast. “Pretend like he’s sick, I feel like that’s horseradish. So for him to do that and say that we’re not world champions of our sport, come on, bruh. Just speak on what you know about, and that’s track.”

Hill later escalated the tension by challenging Lyles to a 50-yard dash, boldly claiming he would come out on top. “I would beat Noah Lyles,” Hill asserted. “I wouldn’t beat him by a lot, but I would beat Noah Lyles.”

Lyles, however, was unimpressed by Hill’s challenge and made it clear during a Wednesday interview on the Dan Patrick Show that his Olympic gold medal is off the table.

“What has he earned to deserve that status?” Lyles asked rhetorically. “He plays football and is a great football player, but you do not get to jump the line because you think you are fast. There are tons of those people out there.”

When asked if he would be interested in one of Hill’s NFL rings as a wager, Lyles was dismissive. “I do not want a Super Bowl ring. I am very content with my Olympic medals,” he stated.

Lyles also doubled down on the conditions for any potential race, stating that it would have to be in the 100 meters or not at all. “Again, I’m not here to do gimmicks,” Lyles told NBC News. “You want to challenge me, ‘the world’s fastest man,’ if you want to challenge that, you have to challenge that in his event.”

Lyles further referenced NFL wide receiver DK Metcalf’s attempt to compete in the 100 meters, noting that Metcalf had the courage to face sprinters on the track in a legitimate event. 

In May 2021, Metcalf ran the 100 meters in 10.36 seconds at the USATF Golden Games and Distance Open, finishing ninth in his heat. While he didn’t qualify for the Olympic Trials, Metcalf’s effort was praised by Lyles as a serious attempt to prove his speed.

“Any time someone fast comes up, he would try to race them. If he really wanted to race people, he would’ve showed up like DK Metcalf,” Lyles said in a separate interview on Night Cap.

“The man [Hill] dodges smoke. I don’t got time for that. He’s challenging me. We’re racing in the 100, we can race. If he’s truly serious about it. If he’s truly serious about it, and I’m not talking about you’re just talking on the internet … you’ll see me on the track.”

NFL player says he'd beat Noah Lyles in a race

Noah Lyles has faced a challenging week in the media, especially after winning bronze in the men’s 200m at the 2024 Paris Olympics and attributing his loss of the gold (and silver) to contracting COVID-19. (Many found this unconvincing.) One of his critics is NFL wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who didn’t hold back on his opinion of Lyles’ abilities, confidently stating that he could beat the new Olympic 100m champion in a race.

During a pre-season interview on YouTube’s Up and Adams Show, Hill shared his thoughts on Lyles: “Noah Lyles can’t say anything after what just happened to him. For him to lose like that and still say we’re not world champions in our sport? Come on, bruh. Just stick to what you know, and that’s track.”

Hill went on to say he would beat Lyles in a race (although he did not specify the distance). “I wouldn’t beat him by a lot, but I would beat Noah Lyles.”

Hill, who goes by the nickname “Cheetah,” is renowned for being one of the fastest players in professional football. While his focus has been on football for most of his life, he comes from a track and field background. Hill represented Team USA at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona, winning gold in the men’s 4x100m relay and bronze in the 200m (20.54).

Although Hill hasn’t made a return to track and field since, he did race over 60 metres at the 2023 USATF Masters Indoor Championships, clocking 6.70 seconds. His time ranked him 213th in the world for the men’s 60m event last year. In contrast, Lyles won a world championship silver medal in the 60m at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, with a time of 6.44 seconds—trailing only American Christian Coleman, the world record holder in the 60m event.

Hill has admitted in multiple interviews that he doesn’t plan to return to track anytime soon, making a showdown with Lyles unlikely. Even so, the numbers speak for themselves: Lyles’ 100m winning time of 9.79 seconds in Paris is half a second faster than Hill’s personal best of 10.19 seconds. While Hill’s times are impressive for someone not competing professionally, the likelihood of him beating Lyles without a few years of focused training seems slim.

NFL player says he’d beat Noah Lyles in a race

"I wouldn’t beat him by a lot, but I would beat Noah Lyles," said Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill

Noah Lyles has faced a challenging week in the media, especially after winning bronze in the men’s 200m at the 2024 Paris Olympics and attributing his loss of the gold (and silver) to contracting COVID-19. (Many found this unconvincing.) One of his critics is NFL wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who didn’t hold back on his opinion of Lyles’ abilities, confidently stating that he could beat the new Olympic 100m champion in a race.

During a pre-season interview on YouTube’s Up and Adams Show, Hill shared his thoughts on Lyles: “Noah Lyles can’t say anything after what just happened to him. For him to lose like that and still say we’re not world champions in our sport? Come on, bruh. Just stick to what you know, and that’s track.”

Hill went on to say he would beat Lyles in a race (although he did not specify the distance). “I wouldn’t beat him by a lot, but I would beat Noah Lyles.”

Hill, who goes by the nickname “Cheetah,” is renowned for being one of the fastest players in professional football. While his focus has been on football for most of his life, he comes from a track and field background. Hill represented Team USA at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona, winning gold in the men’s 4x100m relay and bronze in the 200m (20.54).

Although Hill hasn’t made a return to track and field since, he did race over 60 metres at the 2023 USATF Masters Indoor Championships, clocking 6.70 seconds. His time ranked him 213th in the world for the men’s 60m event last year. In contrast, Lyles won a world championship silver medal in the 60m at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, with a time of 6.44 seconds—trailing only American Christian Coleman, the world record holder in the 60m event.

Hill has admitted in multiple interviews that he doesn’t plan to return to track anytime soon, making a showdown with Lyles unlikely. Even so, the numbers speak for themselves: Lyles’ 100m winning time of 9.79 seconds in Paris is half a second faster than Hill’s personal best of 10.19 seconds. While Hill’s times are impressive for someone not competing professionally, the likelihood of him beating Lyles without a few years of focused training seems slim.

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill may be the fastest player in the NFL, he’s hoping to compete with the fastest runners in the world.

Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill may be the fastest player in the NFL, but this year he’s hoping to compete with the fastest runners in the world.

Hill said that he would like to see if he could qualify for the 2020 Olympics, which take place in Tokyo from July 24 to August 9.

Hopefully after this season, if I’m healthy and my mind is still in the right place, I really want to try to qualify for some Olympic teams,” Hill said.

Asked if he was serious about this and had looked into it, Hill said, “Yeah. Yeah, I have. I have.”

Hill acknowledged, however, that he’d have to change a lot about what he eats and how he trains, and that wouldn’t necessarily leave him in top football shape.

“But the thing is, I weigh like 195 right now. Back in high school, when I ran a 9.9[-second 100-meter dash], I was like 175. So it would be me changing my whole diet that I’ve been doing to get to where I am now,” Hill said.

Hill would be an extreme long shot to make the U.S. Olympic team, but it would be interesting to see him try.