Noah Lyles sets record straight on Usain Bolt as Olympic gold medalist address fastest man on planet status
Noah Lyles knows he’s fast, just not Usain Bolt fast — at least not yet, anyway. The Team USA sprinter captured 100m gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a personal best time of 9.79 seconds before taking bronze in the 200m in 19.70 seconds while battling COVID-19. Olympic champion Lyles is one of the fastest men on EarthGetty The 27-year-old is the undisputed king of the athletics world but even he admits there’s a long way to go to catch Jamaica’s sprint king. Track icon Bolt is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the fastest human in history. The retired 38-year-old speedster still holds the world records in the 100m (9.58 seconds) and 200m (19.19 seconds), which he set back in 2009. Lyles was asked about being the fastest man on the planet during a recent episode of his ‘Beyond the Records Podcast‘ with special guest Mr Beast. However, Lyles rejected the crown, insisting it’s Bolt’s until he can eclipse the Jamaican’s record times. “I’m the world’s fastest man [currently], you get it with the title of being the Olympic champion,” Lyles told the YouTuber. “Technically, the world’s fastest man, and the fastest man alive, is Usain Bolt.” Asked if he would ever be able to eclipse Bolt’s best times, Lyles replied: “I’m knocking on the door of the 200m [his best is 19.31]. If it was that easy, I’d have done it five years ago. “I’m the fastest American to ever live, so I have the American record, like Rai [Benjamin, who joined him on the podcast] in the 400m hurdles, which is pretty cool. We’re just constantly getting closer to breaking world records.” Lyles also believes he has plenty of time to beat Bolt’s times, highlighting the longevity of sprinters these days and the age they tend to peak. “They used to say it was around 30 [when a sprinter reaches their peak] but with technology now, it’s more like 35,” he explained. Lyles (center) told YouTuber Mr. Beast (right) Bolt is still technically the fastest person aliveYouTube@beyondtherecordspodcast Getty Images - GettyBolt stormed to 100m gold at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games[/caption] “But then you’ve got people like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce [who is 38 and still at the top of the sport]. I’ve just reached what they consider peak fitness. So 26 through 31/32 is what they consider to be peak.” Lyles certainly has time on his side, with an Olympic Games on home soil in 2028 and one in Brisbane in 2032 well within his reach. The Florida native has been enjoying his newfound celebrity status in the wake of the Paris Games. He’s been spotted racing popular streamer IShowSpeed and continues to go back and forth with NFL star Tyreek Hill about a prospective footrace. The explosive Miami Dolphins wide receiver — nicknamed ‘Cheetah’ due to being one of the quickest players in the NFL — claimed he could beat the reigning 100m Olympic champion in a race shortly after the American claimed gold in Paris. That sparked an intense war of words between the pair that Lyles now suggests could get settled during the NFL’s 2025 Pro Bowl Games on February 2.
Noah Lyles knows he’s fast, just not Usain Bolt fast — at least not yet, anyway.
The Team USA sprinter captured 100m gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a personal best time of 9.79 seconds before taking bronze in the 200m in 19.70 seconds while battling COVID-19.
The 27-year-old is the undisputed king of the athletics world but even he admits there’s a long way to go to catch Jamaica’s sprint king.
Track icon Bolt is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the fastest human in history.
The retired 38-year-old speedster still holds the world records in the 100m (9.58 seconds) and 200m (19.19 seconds), which he set back in 2009.
Lyles was asked about being the fastest man on the planet during a recent episode of his ‘Beyond the Records Podcast‘ with special guest Mr Beast.
However, Lyles rejected the crown, insisting it’s Bolt’s until he can eclipse the Jamaican’s record times.
“I’m the world’s fastest man [currently], you get it with the title of being the Olympic champion,” Lyles told the YouTuber. “Technically, the world’s fastest man, and the fastest man alive, is Usain Bolt.”
Asked if he would ever be able to eclipse Bolt’s best times, Lyles replied: “I’m knocking on the door of the 200m [his best is 19.31]. If it was that easy, I’d have done it five years ago.
“I’m the fastest American to ever live, so I have the American record, like Rai [Benjamin, who joined him on the podcast] in the 400m hurdles, which is pretty cool. We’re just constantly getting closer to breaking world records.”
Lyles also believes he has plenty of time to beat Bolt’s times, highlighting the longevity of sprinters these days and the age they tend to peak.
“They used to say it was around 30 [when a sprinter reaches their peak] but with technology now, it’s more like 35,” he explained.
“But then you’ve got people like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce [who is 38 and still at the top of the sport]. I’ve just reached what they consider peak fitness. So 26 through 31/32 is what they consider to be peak.”
Lyles certainly has time on his side, with an Olympic Games on home soil in 2028 and one in Brisbane in 2032 well within his reach.
The Florida native has been enjoying his newfound celebrity status in the wake of the Paris Games.
He’s been spotted racing popular streamer IShowSpeed and continues to go back and forth with NFL star Tyreek Hill about a prospective footrace.
The explosive Miami Dolphins wide receiver — nicknamed ‘Cheetah’ due to being one of the quickest players in the NFL — claimed he could beat the reigning 100m Olympic champion in a race shortly after the American claimed gold in Paris.
That sparked an intense war of words between the pair that Lyles now suggests could get settled during the NFL’s 2025 Pro Bowl Games on February 2.
