Last week, new broke that NFL star receiver Tyreek Hill and Olympian Noah Lyles had agreed to race each other, yet it didn’t get the attention that it deserved due to being caught between the Super Bowl, Kendrick Lamar and NBA All-Star Weekend.
Hill, known as the Cheetah, and Lyles, holder of the World’s Fastest Man title after winning the 100m at the Paris Games last summer, had bantered back and forth after the Games about who was faster, yet nothing came of it but chatter.
Well that chatter has materialized into a race as the two, in a joint interview with People Magazine, said the race is on.
“This has been an ongoing thing for, quite some time now, and I mean, everybody’s seen the back and forth on social media,” said Hill, recognized as the fastest man in the NFL, to People. “I’ve been very adamant to show people what real, true speed looks like.”
Hill’s motivation increased two weeks ago after Lyles won his fourth straight 60m indoor title at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix and flashed a sign saying “Tyreek could never.”
Noah Lyles wins his FOURTH straight 60m final at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix…plus a little message. 👀
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 2, 2025
📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/QYjkEtqksx
“I think it speaks for itself,” Lyles told People regarding the sign. “Everybody says that they’re gonna be the world’s fastest, but when it comes down to it, you gotta be the winner every time, each and every time, and every time I show up to the biggest moments, I win.”
And he’s right.
At the World Championships in 2022, he took 200m gold. A year later, he won gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m and in Paris in 2024, Lyles won 100m Olympic gold.
